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| First body found after Russian military plane carrying 93 crashes in Black Sea | |
| (about 1 hour later) | |
| One body has been found after a Russian military plane carrying 93 people, including a well-known military band, crashed on its way to Syria. | |
| Rescuers also found personal documents belonging to some of those on board, the Russian defence ministry said. | Rescuers also found personal documents belonging to some of those on board, the Russian defence ministry said. |
| There was no word of survivors. | There was no word of survivors. |
| Earlier, a rescue team found fragments of the Tu-154 plane, which the Russian Defence Ministry said had disappeared from radar shortly after takeoff from the Black Sea resort of Sochi. | Earlier, a rescue team found fragments of the Tu-154 plane, which the Russian Defence Ministry said had disappeared from radar shortly after takeoff from the Black Sea resort of Sochi. |
| The plane was carrying Russian servicemen and members of the Alexandrov Ensemble, who were being flown into Russia's Hmeymim air base in Syria to entertain military personnel in the run-up to the new year. | The plane was carrying Russian servicemen and members of the Alexandrov Ensemble, who were being flown into Russia's Hmeymim air base in Syria to entertain military personnel in the run-up to the new year. |
| Viktor Ozerov, head of the defense 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 plane was carrying 85 passengers and eight crew members. | |
| The passenger list released by the Defense Ministry included 64 members of the Alexandrov Ensemble, among them its leader, Valery Khalilov. | |
| Also on board was Yelizaveta Glinka, a Russian doctor who has won wide acclaim for her charity work. Her foundation said that Glinka was accompanying a shipment of medicines for a hospital in Syria. | |
| Nine Russian journalists from three Russian television stations were also among the passengers. | |
| The Russian defence ministry said rescue teams found fragments of the plane at a distance of about 1.5 kilometres (less than a mile) from shore, at a depth of 50-70 metres. | |
| Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu was personally coordinating the rescue efforts, and President Vladimir 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, from where Russia flies air strikes against Syrian rebels. | 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, from where Russia flies air strikes against Syrian rebels. |
| 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, though 32 people were airlifted to hospital. | 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, though 32 people were airlifted to hospital. |
| Additional reporting by agencies | Additional reporting by agencies |