TIL Desk/World/ Sochi (Russia)/ Thousands of rescuers were searching for bodies in the Black Sea as Russia marked a day of mourning today following the crash of a Syria-bound military plane carrying 92 people.
The Tu-154 jet, whose passengers included more than 60 members of the internationally-renowned Red Army Choir who were heading to entertain Russian troops in Syria for the New Year, went down off the resort city of Sochi shortly after take-off yesterday.
The first 10 bodies have been flown in to the capital Moscow amid a national outpouring of grief. Investigators have yet to confirm the cause of the crash, but Transport Minister Maksim Sokolov told a televised briefing today that authorities do not believe the plane was taken out by a terrorist attack.
“There could be various causes – they are being analysed by specialists, experts, the Investigative Committee,” he said, adding that active theories ranged from human error to a problem with the fuel.
“Currently the main versions do not include an act of terror,” he added. More than 3,000 workers laboured through the night, racing to find the remaining bodies and debris – including the black boxes crucial to tracking the plane’s final moments – before the currents carry them further away from shore.
