The death toll in the An-26 crash near Kharkov increased to 22 people. The head of the regional state administration Alexei Kucher announced this on Friday, September 25, on his Telegram channel.
According to preliminary data, there were 28 people on board, of which seven were officers and 21 cadets.
“Unfortunately, 22 people died, two survived (one in critical condition), the fate of four at this moment is unknown. We pray for life, we provide emergency assistance, “Kucher wrote.
The crash of An-26 became known earlier on the same day. The police began an investigation into the incident. According to the Ukrainian newspaper “Strana.ua”, the plane crashed near the city of Chuguev.
Later, the information was confirmed by the command of the Air Force (AF) of Ukraine.
A source in law enforcement agencies told Interfax-Ukraine that there could have been cadets on board the An-26 who were performing a training flight.
“Apparently (the pilot) mistook the road for a landing strip,” the agency’s source said.