Search For Keyword.

Russian jet fragments found as thousands search crash site

(Sky News)- Divers have found more fragments from the military plane which crashed into the Black Sea with 92 people on board, Russia's emergency ministry has said.

More than 3,000 rescuers have been involved in the search after the plane came down on its way to Syria, according to the defence ministry.

All 84 passengers and eight crew members on the Tu-154 aircraft are believed to have died when it crashed two minutes after taking off from Sochi airport on Sunday.

Among the passengers were dozens of singers in Russia's world-famous military choir.

Searchers on 32 ships were combing the crash site at sea and along the shore, the defence ministry said. 

The search operation covered more than 100 sq km (38 square miles) and involved planes, helicopters and drones. 

Deep-water equipment and more than 100 divers were hunting below the surface.

Powerful spotlights were brought in so the search operation could continue around the clock.

The cause of the plane crash is likely to be pilot error or a technical fault, the Russian transport minister has said.

Terrorism was not among the main theories, Maxim Sokolov added.

Experts said there were several factors that could suggest a terror attack, such as the crew's failure to report any malfunction and the fact that plane debris was scattered over a wide area.

The plane was taking the Alexandrov Ensemble - better known as the Red Army Choir - to perform at a New Year's concert at the Russian air base in Syria's coastal province of Latakia.

Valery Khalilov, the choir's conductor, perished in the crash.

Also on board were nine Russian journalists and a Russian doctor famous for her work in war zones and helping homeless people.

Mr Sokolov said the government sees no need to heighten security measures at Russian airports.

Emergency crews found fragments of the plane about a mile from shore and by Monday morning rescue teams had recovered 11 bodies. 

A plane with bodies from the crash landed in Moscow where the remains will be identified.

Monday has been declared a nationwide day of mourning in Russia.

The Tu-154 is a Soviet-built three-engine airliner designed in the late 1960s. 

More than 1,000 have been built, and they have been used extensively in Russia and worldwide.

The defence ministry said the plane that crashed was built in 1983 and underwent factory check-ups and maintenance in 2014. 







(63)    (52)
Total Comments (0)

Comments About This Article

Please fill the fields below.
*code confirming note