At least 22 Ukrainian air force cadets dead after military plane crash

At least 22 Ukrainian air force cadets died in a military plane crash in northeastern Ukraine on Friday evening, government officials announced.

The military transport plane, an Antonov An-26 aircraft, crashed as it tried to land during a training exercise, the country’s Defense Ministry said in a statement.

Of the 27 people on board, 22 were killed and two are hospitalized. The agency said in a Facebook post that the conditions of the other three men are unknown.

“The leadership of the Ministry of Defense, the Armed Forces of Ukraine, and all personnel express their deepest condolences to the relatives and friends of the fallen servicemen,” the department said.

The crash occurred just over a mile away from a military airport. The cadets on the flight were from the Kharkiv University of Air Force.

President Volodymyr Zelensky’s office told Reuters that he will visit the area Saturday and that an investigation is underway.

“A state commission is being created to identify all the circumstances and causes of this disaster. Search and rescue work continues on the spot,” it said.