UPDATE: According to a new report by the Russian Defense Ministry, 39 people died in the plane crash. Six crew members and 33 people on board, all of them military personnel.
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On March 6, an An-26 transport military plane crashed near the Russian Hmeimim airbase in Syria, the Russian Defense Ministry reported.
The incident took palce at 3 pm [Moscow time]. 32 people, including 6 crew members, died. According to the ministry, the incident could have been caused by a technical malfunction.
“Around 15:00, a Russian An-26 transport aircraft has crashed while coming in for landing at the Hmeimim air base,” the ministry’s statement said. “All those on board died.”
The plane hit the ground some 500 meters from the runway. The ministry added that it had not come under fire before the incident.
The investigation is underway.
