9 tons of gold spilled out of cargo plane in Yakutia

AKIPRESS.COM - 9 tons of gold, diamonds and platinum spilled out of a cargo plane in Yakutia on March 15 when the An-12 plane's door broke down during the take off from the airport, eyewitnesses told YakutiaMedia news agency.

The police cordoned off the runway where the precious metals scattered and switched the airport to an enhanced control mode.

The Nimbus Airlines plane bound for Krasnoyarsk then made an emergency landing at Magan. Then the plane returned to the Yakutsk airport. The plane was serviceable and ready for flight, the technical engineers said.



The causes of the incident are being investigated.

According to Russian media, the cargo plane was carrying precious metals valued at $378 million.

The cargo belonged to Chukota Mining and Geological company, whose 75% of shares belong to Canadian Kinross Gold.