A Smartavia Boeing 737-800 en route from Sochi to Arkhangelsk transmitted squawk code 7700 over the Black Sea before disappearing from radar approximately 10 minutes ago, according to Russian media reports. Initial reports indicate 189 people were on board; no precise details on the incident are yet available.
A Smartavia (5N) flight, operating as 5N164, declared an inflight emergency over the Black Sea on Wednesday evening before disappearing from radar. The Boeing 737-800 transmitted squawk code 7700 — the international emergency transponder code — while en route from Sochi to Arkhangelsk, according to Russian media reports. Initial unconfirmed reports indicate 189 people were on board.
The aircraft vanished from radar shortly after broadcasting the distress signal. No further details on the nature of the emergency or the aircraft's fate have been released. Russian authorities have not yet issued an official statement.
The incident follows a separate aviation event earlier this month, when an Arkia airliner lost contact over Hungary and was escorted by NATO jets; that flight landed safely. The two events are unrelated.
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