A Russian military plane carrying 92 people, including dozens of Red Army Choir singers, dancers and orchestra members, has crashed into the Black Sea on its way to Syria, killing everyone on board, Russian authorities say.
The Russian Defence Ministry said one of its TU-154 Tupolev planes had disappeared from radar screens at 5.25am on Sunday, 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.
"The area of the crash site has been established. No survivors have been spotted," he said.
An unnamed ministry source told Russian news agencies no life rafts had been found, while another source told the Interfax agency that the plane had not sent an SOS signal.
Russia plane crash vigil Source: AAP
In televised comments, President Vladimir Putin, speaking in St Petersburg, declared December 26 a national day of mourning.
The jet, a Soviet-era Tupolev plane built in 1983, had been carrying 84 passengers and eight crew members.
At least 60 were members of the Alexandrov Ensemble, better known internationally as the Red Army Choir, and were being flown out to Russia's Hmeymim air base in Syria to entertain troops in the run-up to the New Year.
Nine Russian reporters were also on board as well as military servicemen.
Konashenkov said fragments of the plane had been found at a depth of about 70 metres in the Black Sea about 1.5 km off the coast near the city of Sochi.
"The search operation is continuing," said Konashenkov. "Four ships, four helicopters, and a plane and a drone are working in the area," he said, saying a military commission had flown to Sochi to look into what happened.
Konashenkov said four bodies had been recovered from the sea. Russian news agencies cited a higher figure.
Russia's RIA news agency, citing an unidentified security source, said preliminary information indicated that the plane had crashed because of a technical malfunction or a pilot error.
Another source told Russian agencies that the possibility of a militant act had been ruled out. The weather had been good.
Konashenkov said the plane had last been serviced in September and undergone more major repairs in December 2014. He said the pilot was experienced and that the plane had about 7000 flying hours on its clock.
According to the defence ministry's passenger manifest, Elizaveta Glinka, a member of Putin's advisory human rights council, was on the plane.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters it was too early to say what had caused the crash.
Russian military investigators said in a statement they had opened a criminal investigation into the crash.
The Kremlin said Putin expressed his deepest condolences to those who had lost loved ones in the crash and ordered Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev to head a government investigatory commission.
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 launches air strikes against Syrian rebels.
Local residents of Sochi light candles in memory of the victims of the Defence Ministry's Tu-154 plane crash near Sochi. Source: EPA
Probing cause of crash
The US joined German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim in expressing condolences over the crash.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that Putin was being kept updated on the search operation and was in constant contact with Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu.
Russian army spokesman Igor Konashenkov said that more than 3,000 people, 32 vessels, about 100 divers and five helicopters were taking part in the search operation.
Pictures from the scene showed rescue workers carrying bodies on stretchers on a pier in Sochi.
The transport ministry said the bodies recovered from the crash site would be sent to Moscow for identification.
According to Konashenkov, the aircraft had been in service since 1983 and had flown some 7,000 hours since. The plane last underwent repairs in December 2014 and was serviced in September, he said.
Russia's Investigative Committee said a criminal probe had been launched to determine whether violations of air transport safety regulations had led to the crash.
Russia eyes possible terror in plane crash
Russia's transport minister says investigators are looking into all possible reasons behind why a Russian military plane crashed into the Black Sea with 92 people on board, including the option of a terror attack.
Earlier, a Russian official had downplayed any suggestion of a terror attack. But on Sunday afternoon, after being asked if investigators are looking into a possible terror attack, minister Maxim Sokolov said an "entire spectrum" of possible reasons is being considered.
He added it's premature to speculate about the cause of Sunday's crash.
The Tu-154 plane belonging to the Defense Ministry crashed into the Black Sea two minutes after take off on Sunday morning from the Russian city of Sochi. The plane was heading to Syria, carrying members of the world-famous Russian army choir to a New Year concert at the Russian military base.
All aboard are believed to have died, and so far rescuers have recovered 10 bodies.
Assad 'saddened' by Russian plane crash
Syrian President Bashar al Assad says he's been saddened by the crash of a Russian military plane on its way to Syria, as its crew had wanted to celebrate his army's victory in Aleppo.
In a condolence message sent to Russian President Vladimir Putin, Assad says the two countries are partners in the fight to lay the foundations of stability, security and peace in Syria.
The Russian TU-154 plane was carrying 92 people when crashed into the Black Sea on its way to Syria yesterday, killing everyone on board.
