Russian military plane crash wreckage 'shows no sign of explosion'

Russia's Defence Ministry has said the wreckage of the military plane that crashed into the Black Sea on Christmas Day shows no signs of damage from an explosion or fire, but they were not ruling out a "terrorist act".

"The was no explosion on board," said Sergei Bainetov, the Russian Air Force's head of flight safety who is leading the investigation into the crash which killed 92 people.

"But this isn't the only type of terrorist act ... It could have been any type of mechanical impact, so we don't rule out a terrorist act," he continued.

An emergency situation on board the plane lasted for 10 seconds, a spokeperson added.

They continued that human error or technical faults could be the reasons behind the crash which killed all 92 people on board.

They said that it would take at least 30 days to establish the reason behind the TU-154 plane crash.

A second black box from the Russian military plane that crashed in the Black Sea has been found.

Search teams lifted the flight recorder from the seabed Wednesday morning.

The first flight recorder was found on Tuesday and experts have started analysing its data to determine the why the Tu-154 crashed.

Of the 92 people who died, 17 bodies have been recovered along with 223 body fragments from the crash site, the Defense Ministry said.

One of the black boxes from the Russian TU-154 plane which crashed into the Black Sea has been found, the Russian defence ministry has said.

State television showed footage of rescue workers on an inflatable boat carrying a container with a bright orange object covered in water.

Sources quoted by the Tass news agency said the flight data recorder would soon be sent to Moscow for analysis.

Investigators have so far said that pilot error or a technical fault were likely to have caused the aircraft to come down.

Plane debris has been dragged from the Black Sea in a huge recovery operation after Sunday's crash.

Russian officials declared the investigation is now focusing on technical faults or a pilot error.

All 84 passengers and eight crew on the Russian military's Tu-154 plane when it crashed two minutes after taking off from the southern city of Sochi en route to Syria.

More than 3,500 people on 45 ships - including 135 divers from across Russia - have been sweeping a vast crash site in the Black Sea and along the shore, according to the Defense Ministry.

A pilot error or a technical fault is likely to be the cause of Sunday's plane crash, the Russian transport minister said on Monday.

Maxim Sokolov told television reporters that terrorism was not suspected.

He reiterated comments from Sunday afternoon in which he said an "entire spectrum" of possible reasons is being considered for the Tu-154 crash.

But several experts noted factors that could suggest a terror attack, such as the crew's failure to report any malfunction and the fact that plane debris was scattered over a wide area.

More than 3,000 people are involved in a major search operation for the victims' bodies and aircraft debris from the Russian military plane that crashed into the Black Sea.

A day of mourning for the 92 people on board - including members of the army's world-famous choir, has been declared by Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Some 100 divers flown in from across Russia were working from 32 ships and several helicopters to search the crash site, which is around a mile from the Sochi shore where the plane had departed on Christmas Day.

By Sunday evening, rescue teams had recovered 11 bodies while Transport Minister Maxim Sokolov said fragments of other bodies were also found.

• Russian military plane disaster: What we know so far

• Video report by ITV News Correspondent Juliet Bremner

A Russian military plane heading for Syria has crashed into the Black Sea killing all 92 people on board.

Soldiers, journalists and 64 members of the country's famous military choir were among the dead.

President Putin has declared a day of mourning.

The plane disappeared from radar just two minutes into the journey after taking off from Sochi.

Investigators are looking into all possible causes including the option of a terror attack.

A number of Russian TV journalists are among the dead in the Russian military plane disaster.

The plane was en route to Russia's air base in Syria when it crashed shortly after taking off from the resort town of Sochi.

Rescuers have so far recovered 10 bodies but all 92 who were on board are believed to have died.

• Russia's famous military choir Alexandrov Ensemble on board

All possible causes of the Russian military plane disaster are being considered, including terror attack, the Russian transport minister has said.

Earlier, a Russian official had downplayed any suggestion of a terror attack.

But Maxim Sokolov said an "entire spectrum" of possible reasons is being considered.

However he added it's premature to speculate about the cause of Sunday's crash.

The Tu-154 plane belonging to the Defense Ministry crashed into the Black Sea two minutes after taking off from the Russian city of Sochi on Sunday morning.