Search teams have found two black boxes and the remains of all 28 people who died when a passenger plane crashed in Far Eastern Russia earlier this week, Interfax reported Friday.
The An-26 disappeared from radars with 22 passengers and six crew members on board en route from the Kamchatka peninsula’s main city of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky to the coastal town of Palana.
Search teams later found wreckage of the twin-engine turboprop near Palana after it was believed to have crashed into a cliff four to five kilometers north of the air strip.
“The remains of all the people on board have been found, according to preliminary information,” regional air medical services were quoted as saying.
The services added that the bodies will be sent for forensic autopsies.
The Kommersant daily reported that rescue workers have also recovered two black boxes from the crash site.
Officials have said the plane — built in 1982 — was in good condition and passed safety checks.
Russia's Investigative Committee, which probes major crimes and incidents, said it was looking at three potential causes of the accident: poor weather conditions, technical malfunctions, or pilot error.
Kamchatka Governor Vladimir Solodov declared a three-day mourning period beginning Wednesday and said families of the victims would receive 3.5 million rubles ($47,000).
AFP contributed reporting.
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