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.

The Soviet-era turboprop, a model with a poor safety record, crashed in a mountainous region in Russia’s far east.