Moscow: Russia announced that a plane, previously reported missing after emitting a distress signal over the Far East region, has been located with all five individuals on board found alive.
According to Anadolu Agency, Yevgeny Perfilyev, the ecology, nature management, and forestry minister of Russia's Sakha Republic, confirmed the plane's discovery and the safety of all passengers through a statement on Telegram.
Earlier reports from Russia's state news agency TASS indicated that the Antonov An-2 aircraft had triggered its emergency locator beacon while it was "flying in the interests of forest protection" within the Tomponsky district.
The Tomponsky district, situated in the eastern Sakha Republic of Siberia, is known for its extensive and sparsely populated expanse, characterized by mountainous terrain and dense forests.
TASS further reported that Rosaviatsia, Russia's civil aviation authority, had been actively conducting search and rescue operations to locate the plane and its five passengers.