Survivors of Russian Plane Crash in Afghanistan in ‘Good Health,’ Taliban Reports

Taliban administration announced that four survivors of a charter plane crash in northern Afghanistan are in “good health.” The incident involved a plane en route to Moscow, and while the survivors appear to be in stable condition, the bodies of two passengers killed in the crash are being transported to the Afghan capital.

Russian aviation authorities reported on Sunday that the plane, carrying six individuals, disappeared from radar screens over Afghanistan on Saturday night. Afghan police received reports of a crash in the mountainous Badakhshan province.

Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid stated, “Four people from the crashed plane in Badakhshan were transferred to Kabul, the medical and rescue teams of the Ministry of Aviation and the Ministry of Defence have provided them with first aid.” Video footage released by Mujahid’s office showed the survivors disembarking from a helicopter accompanied by Taliban officials.

The footage revealed visible injuries on some survivors, with one individual displaying bloodstains on his clothes. An unnamed Taliban official in the video affirmed the good health of the survivors, expressing gratitude for finding the crash site. The bodies of the deceased passengers have been moved to Fayzabad, a northern provincial city, and are en route to Kabul.

According to Russian state-run TASS news agency, the crashed flight had conducted a private medical evacuation from Thailand’s Pattaya, a popular destination for Russian tourists, to Moscow. Approximately 25 minutes before disappearing from radar screens, the pilot reportedly issued a warning about low fuel and indicated an attempt to land in Tajikistan, as reported by the Russian news outlet SHOT.