A pilot error or a technical fault not terrorism is likely to be the cause of the plane crash into the Black Sea, Russia’s transport minister said on Monday as the nation held a day of mourning for the victims.
All 84 passengers and eight crew members on the Russian military’s Tu-154 plane are believed to have died yesterday morning when it crashed two minutes after taking off from the southern Russian city of Sochi. The passengers included dozens of singers in Russia’s world-famous military choir, nine Russian journalists and Russian doctor known for her charity work in war zones.
More than 3,000 rescue workers on 32 ships including over 100 divers flown in from across Russia have been searching the crash site at sea and along the shore, the Defence Ministry said. Helicopters, drones and submersibles were being used to help spot bodies and debris.
Powerful spotlights allowed the operation to go on all through the night. Transport Minister Maxim Sokolov said in televised remarks on Sunday that terrorism was not among the main theories, and that authorities were looking into a possible technical fault or a pilot error.