An Antonov An-24 passenger plane carrying 48 people crashed in Russia's far east as it was preparing to land, killing everyone on board in an incident that spotlighted the continued use of old, Soviet-era aircraft.

Forty-eight people were confirmed dead after a plane crashed in Russia’s Far East region on Thursday, with search crews finding the aircraft's burning fuselage.

Forty-eight people have died in a plane crash in Russia's Far East, the head of the country's Amur region said in a statement Thursday.