Russian Military Tu-154 Aircraft with 91 On Board Disappears En Route to Syria

A Tupolev Tu-15 three-engine medium-range narrow-body aircraft belonging to the Russian Defense Ministry disappeared from the radar after its takeoff at 2:40 GMT from Sochi, a Russian city on the Black Sea, where it had stopped to refuel, Russian media reported Sunday. There were 91 people on board, including 83 passengers and eight crew members.

The Russian Defense Ministry issued a statement saying “hull fragments of the Tu-154 plane operated by the Defense Ministry have been found about 1.5 km off the Black Sea coast of Sochi at a depth of 50-70 meters.”

According to the Russian Defense Ministry, the passengers were musicians of the Alexandrov Ensemble, the official choir of the Russian Armed Forces and crews from media outlets Channel One Russia and Zvezda.

Aircraft was en route to the Russian base in Latakia, Syria. "The aircraft departed to Latakia and then disappeared from the radar," a source in regional emergency services told TASS.