Decoding of An-26 aircraft’s black boxes to take 3-5 days – Urusky

The process of decoding the flight recorders of an An-26 military aircraft that crashed in Chuhuiv, Kharkiv region, on September 25 will take 3-5 days. It will take two weeks to identify all the victims.

Deputy Prime Minister of Ukraine Oleh Urusky said this on the air of the Ukraina 24 TV channel, Ukrinform reports.

"According to preliminary data, the decoding will last 3-5 days," Urusky said.

According to him, all the wreckage of the plane has already been removed from the crash site. "They were taken to a military base ... The place is guarded, all the wreckage of the aircraft is under the control of the State Bureau of Investigation, access to them is strictly limited. The aircraft's flight recorders were also seized. Their condition is satisfactory. Yesterday [Sept. 27] aviation specialists began the process of decoding them," Urusky said.

When asked whether it is realistic to do a DNA test faster than the stated 14 days, the Deputy PM replied: “I think we will try to do it much faster."

On Friday evening, September 25, a Ukrainian Air Force military transport aircraft, An-26, crashed while trying to land at the Chuhuiv airport in Kharkiv region. There were 27 people on board of the crashed An-26: seven crew members and 20 military cadets. Twenty-five people died at the crash site, and one cadet died from burns at the hospital. One cadet is undergoing treatment.

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