Russian Tu-154 airliner arriving from Israel crashed into the Black Sea. Reportedly, due to an explosion

A TU-154 plane of Siberia Airline fell into the Black Sea today, 185 kilometers southwest of the resort city of Sochi. As the Russian EMERCOM informed, the airliner disappeared from the radar screens at 13:45 Moscow time. There were 66 passengers on board the jet. The depth of the sea in the place where the plane crashed is 1 kilometer, RIA Novosti informed. Rescue boats and helicopters left for the site of the catastrophe. The Tu-154 plane was flying on the route of Tel Aviv to Novosibirsk.

As Russian news agencies informed (with reference to the informational department of the president),the reason for the crash was an explosion on board the airliner. There was another aircraft flying near the Tu-154, an An-24 plane of Armenian airline, which reported the explosion on board the Tu-154. The Tu-154 was flying at the height of 11.1 thousand meters at the moment of the crash and its speed was 850 kilometers per hour.

The debris of the crashed plane were noticed from another plane, which was flying from Tel Aviv. It was reported tbat the fragments of the jet were found 150 miles off from the Black Sea coast. Acting chief of the regional administration Major-General Valery Putov ordered the special forces to be ready for an operation in the open sea if such help is needed.

The rescue teams will come from the cities of Novorossiysk, Tuapse, Sochi, and Gelenjik. The passenger planes that flew above the crashe site stated that there were spots of oil visible on the surface of the water, as well as a red loop of unkown origin.

There is information regarding the passengers that were aboard the plan. It was reported that all 66 passengers were Israelis. The flight crew consisted of 10 members.

On the photo: Tu-154 passenger airliner.