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A RUSSIAN PLANE loaded with precious metals lost its glittering cargo on take-off, scattering the runway with gold and silver.
The Antonov plane was taking off after refuelling in an airport at Yakutsk in Siberia when its cargo door flew open and out tumbled nearly 200 bars from the Kupol gold mine in the remote Chukotka region, investigators said.
The cargo of bars of concentrated ore used to transport the precious metals weighed 9.3 tonnes.
“As it gathered height, the cargo door became damaged due to the shifting of cargo” and “part of the cargo was scattered on the runway,” Russia’s Investigative Committee said in a statement on Telegram.
The plane was forced to land back at the airport, and police immediately sealed off the area to prevent locals from rushing to the scene of the rare windfall, Yakut media local news site reported.
It posted a video of what looked like large white-ish bricks lying on the runway.
“172 bars have been found weighing around 3.4 tonnes,” the local interior ministry told TASS state news agency. “Only part of the gold fell out — altogether there were around nine tonnes in there.”
Kupol mine where the cargo came from is operated by Canada-based mining company Kinross Gold.
And apparently none of the valuable cargo is missing,
A Russian spokesman for the company, Stanislav Borodyuk, told Interfax news agency that “all the cargo has been picked up, there are no losses.”
He said the bars were Dore, a semi-pure alloy of silver and gold.
Investigators say the problem on take-off was likely due to the cargo not being properly stabilised.
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Golden shower
@Sean O’Reilly: that’s why trump visited
Over 300mil worth of gold..Putin must be get a new bathroom furnished ..
The weirdest bit is claiming that it has all been recovered
@DeFonz: Local officials were pleased to reassure everyone that they had recovered all 8.3 tonnes of the precious cargo…
@DeFonz: were talking Russia a schizophrenic cletptocracy do you expect to get the truth about anything???? Interesting how a radioactive cloud emanating from Russia has gone away now.
@Honeybadger197: yes we repeat all 5 tonnes have been recovered
@Honeybadger197: All 7.1 tonnes has been transferred to another flight which will fly the 6.5 tonnes to its destination where it will be loaded on to trucks which will transport the 5 tonnes to a smelting plant.
@Dazz: Nothing to see here folks….
Todd Hoffman still wouldn’t be able to find it.
@Blind Faith: one thing I can’t figure out by that show is that the Hoffman’s always have the best of equipment but never seem to make any money
Every cloud has a silver lining…oh wait
There were a lot of people Russian to get some of it
I’m sure it’s grand like, it’s gold.
@Lisa Saputo: he can sing for it!!
I like golddddddddd….
I’d say the police will be dipping there hands in that pot of gold.
I can imagine Trump would have “a moment of crisis” on hearing about this…….
Follow the yellow brick road
Id be more worried about the Antonov. Legendary huge ukranian frieghter btw. Only a couple running.
It might be safer in Fort Knox.
Why is it on its way to Canada
Gold finger.,!!
have your say