There is reportedly 'no sign of survivors' from the missing Russian military aircraft Tu-154 that went off radar on Sunday, 20 minutes after taking off from Sochi.
Debris from the aircraft has been found in the Black Sea, confirming reports of the plane having crashed into the sea. Agencies said that a body was also been found in the sea.
The aircraft disappeared from radar "approximately 20 minutes" after it took off from Sochi city's Black Sea Resort at 5:20 am local time. Contact with the plane was lost at 5:40 am local time. Media reports had sugeested that the aircraft might have crashed in the mountains.
There were around 91 people — 83 passengers and eight crew members — on board the plane that has gone missing. The defence ministry said that the aircraft was carrying the famous Alexandrov military band for a concert at the Russian air base in Syria, the Associated Press reported.
Reporters and service personnel were also travelling in the aircraft.
The Tu-154, a Soviet-designed three-engine airliner, belongs to the Russia's defence ministry and was travelling to the Latakia province in Syria. Russian air traffic controllers have lost contact with the plane.
"According to preliminary data, a Russian Defense Ministry Tu-154 disappeared from radar screens after departing from Sochi. Approximately 70 people were onboard," a source in the country's Emergencies Ministry was quoted by RT News as saying, citing RIA Novosti.
The aircraft was manoeuvring in Russian airspace over the Black Sea when it went off radar.
"The plane disappeared from radar approximately 20 minutes after takeoff," another source was quoted by RT News as saying citing RIA.
The Federal Air Transport Agency (Rosaviation) has said that the flight was "not civilian."
A search operation iss now underway, BBC reported citing Russia's state-run Rossiya24 TV channel.
