Black Box of Crashed Russian Military Plane Has Been Found
The aircraft believed to be carrying 92 people, went off radar after taking off from Sochi, Russia.
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- Russian military’s TU-154 aircraft has gone off radar
- The plane was carrying 92 people
- The plane crashed in the mountains in Krasnodar Krai
- Citing Russian media, the reports add that the plane went missing soon after taking off from the Black Sea resort of Sochi
- Black Box of the plane has been found
Black Box Found
A black box has been found in the wreckage of a Russian military plane that crashed into the Black Sea on Sunday, killing all 92 on board, the TASS news agency reported on Tuesday citing a law enforcement source.
The source said the box, which contains flight information that could help identify the cause of the crash, would be sent to Moscow for analysis.
Investigators have so far said that pilot error or a technical fault were likely to have caused the Defence Ministry TU-154 to come down.
A Russian military plane carrying 92 people, including dozens of Red Army Choir singers, dancers and orchestra members, crashed into the Black Sea on its way to Syria on Sunday, killing everyone on board, Russian authorities said.
The Russian Defence Ministry said one of its TU-154 Tupolev planes had disappeared from radar screens at 0525 MSK (0225 GMT), two minutes after taking off from Sochi in southern Russia, where it had stopped to refuel from Moscow, on its way to Syria.
Major-General Igor Konashenkov, a ministry spokesman, told reporters that nobody had survived.
Our Friends Were on Board: Bashar Al-Assad
Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad sent his condolences to Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi also Tweeted to show his support.
Famous Red Army Choir Loses 64 in Crash
The Alexandrov Ensemble or better known as the Red Army Choir was on-board the crashed TU-154, along with its conductor Valery Khalilov.
Alexandrov Ensemble is the official army choir of the Russian armed forces, was formed out of the Frunze Red Army Central House in 1928 which was established during the Soviet era.
The Red Army Choir has performed across the world performing from Russian folk tunes to church hymns, and popular music.
Victim’s Body Found
Russian Defense Ministry spokesperson Igor Konashenkov stated the first victim's body has been discovered six kilometers from the shore.
Interfax however reports that rescue workers have discovered several bodies at the scene.
TU-154 with 92 Passengers Crashes
Media reports suggest the plane possibly crashed in Krasnodar Krai. Citing Russian media, the reports add that the plane went missing soon after taking off from the Black Sea resort of Sochi.
Debris from the missing Russian military plane and alleged personal belongings of passengers have been found in Black Sea at a depth of 50-70 meters, reports Interfax.
Journalists, military personnel were also on board. Initially it was reported that the aircraft was carrying some 70 people.
The Federal Air Transport Agency (Rosaviation) said that the flight was "not civilian".
TU-154’s Blemished Record
The TU-154 is a three-engine medium-range airliner produced by Russian aerospace and defence company Tupolev.
It is one of the fastest civilian aircraft in use and widely used in extreme Arctic conditions. However, it’s safety record through the past few decades has been less than satisfactory. The Tupolev-154 has been involved in over 60 crashes in its 40 years of existence.
The most high profile of them in April 2010, when a TU-154 serving as the Polish presidential plane crashed in thick fog in western Russia, killing Poland’s President Lech Kaczynski and 95 others, including many top civilian and military officials.
(With media inputs.)
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