The Russian embassy in Kabul has confirmed the death of a Russian businessman and his wife in a plane crash in the Badakhshan province of Afghanistan. Taliban authorities earlier reported that four people had managed to survive the accident, which took place on Sunday morning.
The business jet was traveling from the Thai city of Pattaya to Moscow, carrying out the private medical evacuation of Anna Evsyukova, who was accompanied by her husband, Anatoly Evsyukov, as well as two medical workers and two crew members.
The French-made Dassault Aviation Falcon 10 jet is believed to have suffered an engine failure during the flight, ultimately causing the aircraft to crash in a mountainous region in the Aruz Koh area of the Kuf Ab district.
The pilots and paramedics survived the crash. One of the medical workers, Igor Syvorotkin, managed to reach a remote village in the area and ask locals for help using sign language. Rescuers soon found the survivors but were initially unable to confirm the deaths of the Evsyukova and her husband as their bodies could not be located.
However, Russian envoy to Kabul Dmitry Zhirnov confirmed in an interview with TASS on Monday that the couple had indeed died in the crash.
“There were six people on board. Unfortunately, two died as a result of the plane crash. These were the married couple Anatoly and Anna Evsyukov. Our deepest condolences go out to their family and friends, this is a huge loss and great pain,” the ambassador said.
The four surviving passengers had already been brought to Kabul by the Afghan search and rescue team and were receiving medical attention, Zhirnov added, noting that he hopes they will soon be able to return safely to their homeland.
Esyukova’s son told Izvestiya that his mother had been hospitalized in Pattaya since December, after contracting an infection when the family visited the country on holiday. After a month in which no progress was made and her organs began to fail, she was put on a ventilator. Her relatives decided to transport her to the Botkin Hospital in Moscow and chartered the ambulance flight.
The administration of Volgodonsk, where the Evsyukovs live, has already indicated that it will provide assistance to the couple’s surviving daughter and son.
Meanwhile, the Russian Foreign Ministry has said an investigation has been opened into the crash with cooperation from the Afghan side.