Moscow, 21 January 2024 (dpa/MIA) - A Russian private jet with six people on board has crashed in mountainous north-eastern Afghanistan, officials said on Sunday.

The small plane had been travelling to Moscow when it appears to have suffered an engine problem, said Afghanistan's Ministry of Information spokesperson Abdul Wahid Rayan on X, formerly Twitter.

The Russian aviation authority Rosaviatsiya said that a private Falcon 10 aircraft registered in Russia had disappeared from radar.

Four crew members and two passengers were flying from Goa, India to the Moscow, said Rosaviaziya. The agency said it was in contact with Afghan authorities and that a search for the aircraft had started.

The rescue operation was centred on the province of Badakhshan, which borders Pakistan, Tajikistan and China.

The suspected crash site will be difficult to reach due to its remote mountain location and the harsh winter weather in the region, a Taliban representative in the province said in a statement.

Photo: Wikipedia