Rescuers on Wednesday found the likely crash site of a hijacked An-2 biplane that went missing more than a week ago with 13 revelers on board.
An emergency services source told Interfax that a large patch of oil was discovered on the surface of a reservoir to the north of Serov, the Urals city from which the light aircraft disappeared June 11. The source said this oil spot was presumably a trace of the missing plane.
The source also said search teams had been redirected to the reservoir and that rescuers specializing in working in the taiga had been deployed.
The latest rescue efforts come after more than 1,000 people, including Emergency Situations Ministry staff, police, hunters, fishermen and tourists, scoured the surrounding area Monday.
Sverdlovsk region investigators believe that the chief of the local traffic police and at least one of his subordinates were traveling on the missing plane, which they reportedly hijacked while drunk.
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