Russian plane disappears over Afghanistan amid crash reports

Russian aviation authorities reported a plane with six passengers missing from radar screens over Afghanistan, with Afghan police receiving information of a crash in Badakhshan province.

According to the Russian aviation authorities, the plane was a charter ambulance flight travelling from India to Moscow via Uzbekistan, on a French-made Dassault Falcon 10 jet manufactured in 1978.

However, India's civil aviation authority clarified that the plane involved in the crash with four crew members and two passengers on board was not a scheduled commercial flight or an Indian chartered aircraft, India Today reported.

The Indian Ministry of Civil Aviation wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter: "The unfortunate plane crash that has just occurred in Afghanistan is neither an Indian Scheduled Aircraft nor a Non Scheduled (NSOP)/Charter aircraft. It is a Moroccan registered small aircraft. More details are awaited."

The Afghan provincial police spokesperson said in a statement the crash had taken place overnight in a remote, mountainous region of Badakhshan in Afghanistan's far north.

"We were informed by local people in the morning," Zabihullah Amiri, head of the provincial information department, told AFP, without giving further details.

He said there were no confirmed details on the type of plane, cause of the crash or casualties.

Aircraft manufacturer Dassault did not respond immediately to a request for comment outside normal business hours.

The rugged terrain of Badakhshan province is posing significant challenges to rescue and recovery efforts, with search teams working to reach the crash site and assess the situation.

Meanwhile, the international community is monitoring developments regarding a crash involving a plane, raising concerns about safety and the circumstances leading up to it.

Rescue teams are awaiting further information as they investigate the tragic incident.