Late evening of September 25, an An-26 aircraft crashed near Chuhuyiv (Kharkiv region), Air Force Command of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reported.
“The plane crash occurred during the landing. The crew and the cadets of the Kharkiv University of the Air Force of the Ukrainian Armed Forces were on board,” the message reads.
According to the sources of ZN.UA media outlet, there were 30 cadets of the Ivan Kozhedub National Air Force University on board.
The Kharkiv local police clarified that the plane crash occurred on the 530th kilometer of the Kyiv-Kharkiv highway. Ukrainian MIA reported that the plane crashed not far from one of the military airports.
Deputy Interior Minister Anton Herashchenko stated that 24 people could have been on board, and as of 10 pm, information about 22 killed was confirmed.
An-26 aircraft of Ukraine's armed forces crashed in Kharkiv region
An-26 aircraft of Ukraine's armed forces crashed in Kharkiv region
An-26 aircraft of Ukraine's armed forces crashed in Kharkiv region
An-26 aircraft of Ukraine's armed forces crashed in Kharkiv region
An-26 aircraft of Ukraine's armed forces crashed in Kharkiv region
“As of 22:00, according to the State Emergencies Service, the death of 22 people was confirmed. Two survivors were sent to the hospital in serious condition. The rescuers continue to disassemble the crashed fuselage of the aircraft and look for other dead and injured,” Herashchenko wrote on his Facebook page.
According to Kharkiv governor Oleksiy Kucher, there were 28 people on board, including seven officers and 21 cadets. 22 people died, two were hospitalized, the fate of four more is still unknown.
The plane crash occurred at about 9 pm in the Kharkiv region near the town of Chuhuyiv.