Gems, precious metals and diamonds worth hundreds of millions rained over Russia’s coldest region when a Russian plane with ten tons of gold, platinum and diamonds lost a significant part of its cargo upon taking off from an airport in the Russian region of Yakutsk, famous for its rich natural resources and diamond deposits. 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. “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. “Only part of the gold fell out – altogether there were around nine tonnes in there.”

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The bars came from the Kupol gold mine in the Chukotka region, investigators said, which is operated by Canada-based mining company Kinross Gold.
Approximately 3,400kg of gold ingots break free from a Nimbus Airlines Antonov An-12 cargo plane and fall onto the runway at Yakutsk Airport.