An Antonov An-24 passenger plane carrying 48 people crashed in Russia's far east as it was preparing to land, killing everyone on board in an incident that spotlighted the continued use of old, Soviet-era aircraft.

A plane crashed into a dense forest in Russia's Far East region of Amur, killing all 48 people on board, after twice attempting to land, Russian officials say.

The plane, a Soviet-era Antonov An-24 with 43 passengers and six crew members, was traveling to the small town of Tynda from Blagoveshchensk, near the border with China, when it went off the radar, Vasily Orlov, the regional governor, said in a statement.