Russian military Tu-154 aircraft carrying 92 people crashes in Black Sea

Photo taken on Dec 25, 2016 shows vessels taking part in a rescue operation on the Black Sea coast at the crash site of Russian Defense Ministry's TU-154 aircraft. [Xinhua/Sputnik]

A Russian military Tu-154 aircraft carrying 92 people crashed Sunday in the Black Sea after taking off from the resort city of Sochi.

Four ships and five helicopters are currently operating in the crash site, said the Russian Defense Ministry's spokesman Igor Konashenkov, adding that the ministry is maneuvering more forces and equipment for the rescue mission.

The ill-fated plane, en route to a Russian Navy base in the Syrian port city of Latakia, vanished from the radar screens shortly after taking off from an airfield in the Black Sea resort city of Sochi at 5:40 a.m. Moscow Time (0240 GMT).

Latest information from the ministry said 92 people, including 84 passengers and eight crew members, were on board.

Among them were 64 members from the Alexandrov Ensemble, the renowned choir of the Russian Armed Forces and its head Valery Halilov, as well as nine Russian journalists. They were heading to the air base for New Year celebrations.

Fragments of the aircraft have been discovered in 1.5 kilometers from the Black Sea shore of Sochi at a depth of 50-70 meters, the ministry said.

Several bodies of the victims have been recovered at the crash site by rescue workers.

A defense ministry commission headed by Deputy Defense Minister Pavel Popov has arrived in Sochi.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has ordered the establishment of a special committee led by Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev to investigate the incident, the Kremlin press service said.

Russia's Investigative Committee has launched a criminal case over the crash. Based on preliminary information, the misfortune was caused by technical malfunction or pilot error, a law enforcement source was quoted as saying.

The Tu-154 is a three-engine medium-range airliner produced by Russian aerospace and defense company Tupolev. It is one of the fastest civilian aircraft in use and has been widely used in extreme Arctic conditions.