Putin Orders Immediate Start To Search And Rescue Operations At Tu-154 Plane Crash Site

Presidential press secretary Alexei Gromov told RIA Novosti this afternoon that Vladimir Putin had instructed the Defense Ministry and Ministry of Emergencies to make an immediate start to search and rescue operations at the scene of the Tu-154 plane crash site. According to him, warships have already been dispatched to the region. Gromov said that the president had been immediately notified of the crash. The Sibir airlines Tu-154 (flight number 85693) crashed into the Black Sea 185km from the Russian resort of Sochi. RIA Novosti learnt in the Russian Emergencies Ministry (MChS) that radar contact had been lost with the aircraft at 13.45 local time. Sixty six passengers were on board. The sea can be up to 1 kilometer deep at the crash site. Rescue ships and an MChS helicopter have been sent to the site. The plane was flying from Tel Aviv to Novosibirsk.