Four people from a Russian business jet that crashed in the Badakhshan Province of Afghanistan on Sunday morning have been found alive, according to the Taliban authorities.
A Russian businessman and his wife are feared dead, however, although rescuers have yet to locate their bodies.
“The plane reported missing in Badakhshan province has been located in the Aruz Koh area of Kuf Ab district. The pilot has been discovered by IEA search group according to reports, the pilot is among 4 other individuals who have survived the incident,” a spokesman of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, Zabihullah Mujahid said in a statement on X (formerly Twitter) on Sunday.
One of the survivors was identified as Igor Syvorotkin, a paramedic on board the flight. According to media reports, he managed to reach the remote village of Pedu in the Kof Ab district on foot and asked locals for help using sign language. The residents then took the “foreign man” to the Taliban authorities.
Syvorotkin’s patient, Anna Yevsyukova, for whom the medical plane was chartered, and her husband Anatoly Evsyukov, are believed to have died in the crash.
The family traveled to Thailand on a holiday in December last year, accompanied by their son. However, Anna felt sick soon after arrival and was hospitalized in Pattaya with what doctors said was an infection. After a month in which no progress was made and her organs began to fail, she was put on a ventilator. The relatives decided to transport her to Botkin Hospital in Moscow and chartered an ambulance flight, her son told Izvestiya. He took a regular flight and learned the sad news only when he landed in Russia.
The Russian Consulate in Bangkok confirmed that the crashed plane was carrying out a private medical evacuation from the Thai city of Pattaya.
The French-made Dassault Aviation Falcon 10 jet disappeared from radars at about 7pm on Saturday, when it was flying over a mountainous area of Afghanistan. Shortly afterwards, Afghan police confirmed that they received reports of an incident. According to Afghan authorities, the crash occurred due to an engine problem, but the investigation is still ongoing.