Did you guys learn what happened with Russia during Christmas day? 92 people believed dead ;-;

[rainbowsoldier]

 

Russian military plane crashes into Black Sea, 92 people believed dead

 

Updated 

9 minutes ago

 

PHOTO: The plane was a model Tu-154, similar to the one pictured. (AP: Dmitry Petrochenko)

 

RELATED STORY: Two dead, dozens hurt in Moscow plane accident

 

MAP: Russian Federation

 

 

A Russian plane headed to an air base in Syria with 92 people on board, including members of a well-known military choir, crashed into the Black Sea on Christmas Day minutes after taking off from the resort city of Sochi, Russia's Defence Ministry said.

 

 

 

Key points

 

• Russian military plane crashes over Black Sea

 

Famous Alexandrov military choir was en route to Christmas concert in Syria

 

No confirmation of survivors

 

Defence official 'totally excludes' terrorism

 

 

 

There was no indication anyone survived the crash of the Tu-154, which belonged to the Defence Ministry and was taking the Alexandrov Ensemble to a holiday concert at the Hemeimeem air base in Syria's coastal province of Latakia.

 

Crews recovered several bodies and ships, while helicopters and drones were searching the area for more.

 

A total of 84 passengers and eight crew members were on the plane when it disappeared from radars two minutes after taking off in good weather.

 

Emergency crews found fragments about 1.5 kilometres from shore.

 

There was no immediate word on the cause of the crash, but a top defence official has "excluded" the possibility of a terrorist attack.

 

Viktor Ozerov, head of the defence affairs committee at the upper house of Russian Parliament, said the crash could have been caused by a technical malfunction or a crew error, but he believes it could not have been terrorism because the plane was operated by the military.

 

"I totally exclude" the idea of an attack bringing down the plane, he said in remarks carried by state RIA Novosti news agency.

 

The passenger list released by the Defence Ministry included 64 members of the Alexandrov Ensemble, among them its leader, Valery Khalilov.

 

The ensemble is the official choir of the Russian military and also includes a band and a dance company.

 

PHOTO: The Alexandrov military choir, seen here performing in March, was on board the plane. (AP)

 

Also on board was Yelizaveta Glinka, a Russian doctor who has won wide acclaim for her charity work, including receiving an award from President Vladimir Putin earlier this month.

 

Dr Glinka was accompanying a shipment of medicines for a hospital in Syria, her foundation said.

 

Nine Russian journalists from three Russian television stations were also among the passengers.

 

Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu was personally coordinating the rescue efforts and Mr Putin has received official reports on the incident.

 

Russia's Defence Ministry regularly flies musicians into Syria to put on concerts for military personnel.

 

The base they were heading for, Hmeymim, is in Latakia province.

 

It is from there that Russia flies air strikes against Syrian rebels.

 

PHOTO: Doctor Yelizaveta Glinka, pictured with President Vladimir Putin earlier this month, was on board.

 

Plane had undergone repairs in 2014

 

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 by carriers in Russia and worldwide.

 

In recent years, Russian airlines have replaced their Tu-154s with more modern planes, but the military and some other government agencies in Russia have continued to use them.

 

While noisy and fuel-guzzling by modern standards, the plane has been popular with crews that appreciate its maneuverability and ruggedness.

 

"It's an excellent plane, which has proven its reliability during decades of service," veteran pilot Oleg Smirnov said in televised remarks.

 

The plane that crashed was built in 1983, and underwent repairs in 2014, according to the Defence Ministry.

 

After a Tu-154 crashed in 2007, killing 170 people, an investigation was launched into Russia's aviation safety.

 

In 2010, two people were killed when another Tu-154 plane crashed in Moscow.

 

Earlier in December, another Russian Defence Ministry crashed in Siberia with 39 people on board as it tried to make an emergency landing near a Soviet-era military base.

 

Nobody was killed in that incident, though 32 people were airlifted to hospital.

 

[PurachinaDisuko]

This is so sad :(

[Ruelle]

In Russia it's not Christmas though

[BlueButterfly]

omg so sad, on a holiday too... praying for them

[laiceps]

 

In Russia it's not Christmas though

 

it is for op, it's her title, what's your point ?

[Kiwii]

This is so sad :(

[whitedove]

Yeah I've read it earlier today. RIP to all victims. :(

[Happy Oppa]

Oh my. R.I.P :(

[Azero]

May they rest in peace. 

[Ruelle]

it is for op, it's her title, what's your point ?

 

My point is - in my country it's not Christmas, it is 25th of December, no more no less. It's not Christmas for us. That's all

[11minuteslater]

It's not Christmas here.

But it doesn't really take away from the tragedy.

Tomorrow is officially mourning day.

 

 

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[Ah-Chu!]

Oh my. R.I.P :(

 

 

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