ISLAMABAD, Pakistan – A Russian private jet with six people on board is believed to have crashed in a remote area of rural Afghanistan, authorities said Sunday. The plane went missing and stopped communicating before disappearing from radar screens, sparking a search and rescue operation in a mountainous area near the Zebak district in Badakhshan province, some 155 miles northeast of Kabul.
According to regional spokesman Zabihullah Amiri, the crash occurred in a rural, mountainous area with only a few thousand residents. The Badakhshan police chief’s office also confirmed the report of the crash in a statement.
Russian civil aviation authorities in Moscow reported that the Dassault Falcon 10 had four crew members and two passengers on board, and was originally heading from Thailand to Russia, with stops in India and Uzbekistan.
The aircraft was operating as a charter ambulance flight on a route from Gaya, India, to Tashkent, Uzbekistan, and onward to Zhukovsky International Airport in Moscow. The Russian plane, built in 1978, is owned by Athletic Group LLC and a private individual, according to Russian officials.
Russia’s Investigative Committee has opened a criminal case on charges relating to potential violations of air safety rules or negligence, and the Foreign Ministry spokeswoman stated that the Russian Embassy in Afghanistan is working with local officials on the incident.
The Taliban described the plane as belonging to a Moroccan company, and a man associated with the medical evacuation company based in Morocco confirmed that the aircraft had been with the firm. However, he stated that the company was no longer in business and the plane now belonged to someone else.
Tracking data for the aircraft showed its last position just south of the city of Peshawar, Pakistan, before losing communication. International carriers have largely avoided Afghanistan since the Taliban’s takeover of the country, with fears persisting about flying through the region.
The last fatal airplane crash in Afghanistan occurred in 2020, and with the geopolitical situation in the region, concerns about air safety continue to loom large.