Ukraine military plane crash kills 26; lone survivor praised for "heroism"
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Saturday praised the only survivor of a military plane crash as the death toll climbed to 26, after another cadet died and three more bodies were found. Zelensky went to the scene of the tragedy near the northeastern city of Kharkiv where an Antonov AN-26 transport plane carrying 20 air force cadets and seven officers crashed during a training flight on Friday evening.
"Ukraine has lost 26 worthy sons," Zelensky said on Facebook, referring to the cadets and officers of the Kharkiv National Air Force University.
"It is difficult to find words to express the pain of this loss," he said, declaring Saturday a day of mourning.
The plane burst into flames on landing near a highway more than one mile from the Chuguiv military air base.
An eyewitness told Reuters he had seen a man in flames running from the wreckage. "Another car stopped behind us. We took a fire extinguisher and ran with another driver to help him," he said.
On Saturday, the death toll rose after three more bodies were found under the charred remains of the plane and one of the two survivors died in hospital from extensive burns. Source
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