Kharkiv: At least 22 people, most of them air cadets, have been killed in a military plane crash near Kharkiv in Ukraine on Friday, officials said.
As per reports, the Air Force transport aircraft was carrying 28 people on board in which 21 were students from the Kharkiv national air force University and seven were crew members.
Twenty-two have been confirmed dead, two are injured and “the search for three more people continues”, the emergency services said.
In a statement on Saturday, the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) said one of the surviving cadets was in a grave condition.
The statement added: “According to preliminary findings, the cadets did not directly control the plane – the crew captain carried out all flights. After completing part of the flight at 20:38 (17:38 GMT), he reported to the flight commander that the left engine had failed, asked for landing at 20:40, passed the outer marker at 20:43 and the catastrophe happened at 20:45.”
#BREAKING: Multiple fatalities following military plane crash in northeast Ukraine pic.twitter.com/mnr7Js5Qha
— I.E.N. (@BreakingIEN) September 25, 2020
#Chuhuiv: Ukrainian authorities say at least 22 people have died in a military plane crash in northeast Ukraine. The AN-26 military plane was carrying a total of 28 passengers when it crashed and burst into flames in Chuhuiv, Kharkiv Oblast.
— I.E.N. (@BreakingIEN) September 25, 2020
Ms Kalinga