Originally published August 23, 2023 11:17 am PDT
In a tragic incident that unfolded north of Moscow in Russia’s Tver Region, an Embraer business jet suffered a devastating crash.
Russian state media reported on Wednesday that Yevgeny Prigozhin (62), the leader of the Wagner mercenary group who led an aborted mutiny earlier this year, was listed as a passenger on the crashed jet, according to NBC News.
However, The New York Times is reporting that Readovka, an account on the Telegram app that is known to be close to the Russian authorities, said that reports of Prigozhin’s death were “premature” and that “Yevgeny Prigozhin may have been on a different airplane.”
The Federal Agency for Air Transport of Russia (Rosaviatsiya) has immediately launched an investigation into the event.
The statement from the agency highlighted, “An investigation of the Embraer plane crash that happened in the Tver Region this evening was initiated. According to the passenger list, first and last name of Yevgeny Prigozhin was included in this list.”
The aircraft, which was en route from Sheremetyevo to St. Petersburg, carried a total of ten individuals.
This included three pilots and seven passengers.
A source confirmed the grim news, stating, “There were three pilots and seven passengers on board. All of them died.”
Shortly after the accident, emergency response teams reached the crash site near Kuzhenkino.
Preliminary reports from the scene suggested that the plane caught fire post-impact, and was completely engulfed in flames within a short span of time.
The aircraft was in the air for less than half an hour before the tragic accident.
As rescue efforts continue, the Emergencies Ministry has informed TASS that they have so far retrieved four bodies from the wreckage.
Grey Zone said local residents heard two bangs before the crash and saw two vapor trails, according to a BBC report.
