”I unfortunately have to announce that according to preliminary information there are no survivors after the plane crash”, writes the governor.
The plane disappeared from the radar in the Amur region and was on its way to the city of Tynda in eastern Russia from Blagovesjtjensk, according to Orlov.
A rescue helicopter later discovered the plane's burning fuselage on a mountain slope about 1.6 miles from Tynda. The helicopter saw no signs of survivors from above, said local rescue workers.
Five children and six crew members were supposed to have been among the people on board, according to Orlov.
A three-day mourning period has been declared in the region starting on Friday.
”The whole region mourns with you”, writes Orlov in a greeting to the victims' families and friends.
China's president Xi Jin Ping regrets the incident.
”On behalf of the Chinese government and people, I want to express my deepest condolences to the victims and their relatives”, he says in a statement according to Chinese state media, reports AFP.
