Rescue workers discovered the body of the 11th victim of the plane crash, the Russian defense ministry told Interfax.
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16:24
The search and rescue operation includes 27 vessels, and over 3,000 people are involved, the Russian Defense Ministry stated, as cited by TASS.
The search and rescue surface area has been determined, and constitutes 10.5 square kilometers, according to the Russian Defense Ministry.
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15:48
Interfax news agency has put the number of bodies found at 12, citing emergency sources.
Bodies of 10 crash victims have been found, a source in local security services told TASS.
The identification of the victims` remains will require DNA testing, the head of a well-known Russian medical center in Moscow, Zurab Kekelidze, told RIA, adding that the center`s specialists will provide assistance for their colleagues in Sochi, should it be necessary.
The identification of the victims` remains will require DNA testing, the head of a well-known Russian medical center in Moscow, Zurab Kekelidze, told RIA, adding that the center`s specialists will provide assistance for their colleagues in Sochi, should it be necessary.
Muscovites are laying flowers at the Alexandrov Ensemble building in the Russian capital.
A thorough investigation into the causes of the crash will be conducted, and everything will be done to provide support for the victims` families, Putin said.
Monday, December 26 has been declared a day of mourning in Russia for the victims of the Tu-154 crash, Russian President Vladimir Putin said.
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14:53
Several major Russian TV channels are changing their regularly-scheduled programming due to the tragedy: Channel One will not air entertainment shows, as well as promo reels for New Year`s specials; REN TV will air hourly news bulletins and will not run any entertainment programs; NTV will cancel the airing of a New Year`s film, as well as entertainment shows.
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14:15
Four vessels, four helicopters, a plane, and UAVs are involved in the search operation. Additionally, six ships and vessels of the Black Sea fleet, remotely operated deep submergence vehicles, and 63 divers have been deployed. 50 more are set to arrive at the scene within the next hour, according to a defense ministry statement.
Four bodies of crash victims have been taken aboard a rescue vessel, according to the Russian Defense Ministry.
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14:03
The crash area of the Tu-154 plane has been determined, with no survivors in sight, the Russian Defense Ministry stated, as cited by Interfax.
Four bodies of crash victims have been taken aboard a rescue vessel, according to the Russian Defense Ministry.
Snob.ru media outlet has updated its information regarding the suspected death of humanitarian activist Elizaveta Glinka, saying that her husband confirmed Glinka had boarded the Tu-154 flight.
Local authorities are preparing accommodation and psychological support groups for relatives of the crash victims, the mayor of Sochi`s press service said.
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13:41
Local authorities are preparing accommodation and psychological support groups for relatives of the crash victims, the mayor of Sochi`s press service said.
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13:16
The plane disappeared from radar two minutes after it took off, according to the spokesperson of the Russian Defense Ministry, Igor Konashenkov, as cited by TASS.
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13:03
All but three choir singers of the Alexandrov Ensemble were aboard the plane, lead solo singer Vadim Ananyev told TASS. He himself had to stay home and miss the flight due to the birth of his third child.
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12:45
The head of the Presidential Council for Human Rights, Mikhail Fedotov, said that neither reason nor heart can accept the fact of the prominent humanitarian activist`s death.
Elizaveta Glinka, head of the `Fair Help`fund, was travelling to Latakia to deliver medical supplies to a hospital.
“The mind can`t understand that she is no longer with us. The heart doesn`t want to believe this... We knew she was headed to Latakia to take medical supplies to a university hospital,” Fedotov said.
“We were hoping for a miracle until the very last moment. And she was a miracle herself, a heaven-sent message of virtue,” he added.
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12:11
Prominent Russian humanitarian and charity activist Elizaveta Glinka is on the list of passengers provided by the defense ministry.
It is not clear yet if she was on board, with conflicting reports emerging about her current location.
The last recording by NTV sound engineer Evgeny Tolstov was posted on Facebook and was made at Chkalovsky Airport on the outskirts of Moscow.
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12:00
Among the victims of the crash were the head of the military band, Valery Khalilov, and the head of the defense ministry`s department of culture, Anton Gubankov.
The Russian Defense Ministry has released a list of people who were on board the crashed Tu-154. In includes eight crew members, eight military troops, nine journalists, 64 members of the Alexandrov Ensemble, two civilian officials, and an employee from an international humanitarian organization.
The press service of Russian TV channel Zvezda said that their employees were on board as well: correspondent Pavel Obukhov, cameraman Aleksandr Suranov, and cameraman`s assistant Valery Rzhevsky.
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11:27
The debris flew apart along the coast, across a 1.5 kilometer area, and is at depths of 50 to 100 meters, a source told RIA Novosti.
Documents belonging to the Channel One journalists have been found at the scene, TASS news agency reports, citing a security service source.
A source told Interfax news agency that rescue workers have discovered several bodies at the scene.
“Emergency workers are finding bodies, there are a few of them,” the source said.
Journalists from another Russian TV channel, NTV, were among those on board: correspondent Mikhail Luzhetsky, cameraman Oleg Pestov, and sound engineer Evgeny Tolstov, according to media reports.
The first victim`s body has been discovered six kilometers from the shore, Russian Defense Ministry spokesperson Igor Konashenkov stated, as cited by RIA Novosti.
NTV television channel reported that the third crew on board the crashed Tu-154 was their own.
A rescue boat has found the body of a person who apparently died in the Tu-154 crash, the defense ministry reported. It was picked up about six kilometers off the coast.
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11:09
The Russia Defense Ministry has updated the number of passengers: there were 84 on board, not 83, which brings the total to 92.
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11:06
The Russian president`s spokesperson, Dmitry Peskov, said that Vladimir Putin is in constant contact with the emergency and defense ministries.
One of the solo singers from the Alexandrov Ensemble, Vadim Ananyev, had to stay home. The Russian newspaper Komsomolskaya Pravda spoke with him.
“My colleagues and friends flew there – the choir, about 50 people, a group of bayan and balalaika players. They should have given one concert and come back. I don`t [know] what to say yet, just hope for the best. I didn`t go due to family matters: my son has just been born, he is the third child in the family, and I stayed home to help my wife,” Ananyev told the newspaper.
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10:52
Zvezda TV channel said three of its staff were on board the crashed Tu-154 transport plane. Channel One said it also had three people on the plane. Early reports mentioned nine journalists on board the plane, and it was not immediately clear which outlet had sent the third team.
No survivors have been found so far, emergency services said.
“Unfortunately, during over an hour of search and rescue efforts, no emergency life rafts have been found,” Interfax cited a source as saying.
The passengers` personal belongings supposedly have been found off the Sochi coast, the local emergency source told TASS.
Three journalists working for the Russian Channel One were on board of the plane, TASS reported citing the channel`s press service.
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10:04
The defence ministry said its Tu-154 aircraft had 91 people onboard, including journalists, military personnel, musicians from Alexandrov Ensemble, an official army choir of the Russian armed forces.
The source added that the plane disappeared from radars 20 minutes after departing from Sochi, Krasnodar Krai.
"According to preliminary findings, the missing TU-154 arrived in Sochi from Chkalovsky airport in Moscow region for refueling. Most likely, it crashed in mountainous area of Krasnodar Territory," the source told RIA Novosti.
The priliminary data shows that the disappeared plane was heading to Syria`s Hmeimim airbase. According to the source, the possible reasons for the alleged crash could be technical malfunction or pilot error.
The aircraft went missing as it was manoeuvring over Russia`s territorial waters, a source at the emergency ministry was quoted as saying by Russian news agencies.
A search operation was now under way, Russia`s state-run Rossiya24 TV channel said.
