05-03-2006, 03:14 AM
All 113 aboard airliner killed, Russian authorities says
MOSCOW, Russia (CNN) -- An Armenian jet carrying 113 people from Yerevan has crashed into the Black Sea near the Russian resort of Sochi, killing all on board, authorities say.
The Airbus A320 disappeared from radar in bad weather just miles from shore early Wednesday, and news agencies reported local authorities as saying some bodies had already been pulled out of the water.
Rescuers have also found parts of the plane, baggage and life jackets about four miles (six kilometers) from the coast, Russian officials said.
Boats and divers are battling rough seas, driving rain and low visibility to recover what they can.
The plane belonged to Armavia Airlines, the largest airline in the former Soviet Republic of Armenia, according to a Reuters report.
The plane crashed shortly before it was to land at Adler airport near the Russian city of Sochi, The Associated Press quoted Emergency Situations Ministry spokesman Viktor Beltsov as saying.
The pilot had reported no problems before the crash. Controllers lost contact with the plane shortly after 2:15 a.m. Wednesday (10.15 p.m. GMT Tuesday), Beltsov said.
One official from Armavia told Reuters the plane crashed into the sea at a very steep angle, and the fuselage was lying on the seabed.
It is unknown whether bad weather was a factor in the crash, and many different reports are circulating as to what happened immediately before the plane went down.
Relatives of those aboard the plane were gathering at Yerevan for a charter flight to Sochi, AP reported.
http://www.cnn.com/2006/WORLD/europe/05/...index.html
MOSCOW, Russia (CNN) -- An Armenian jet carrying 113 people from Yerevan has crashed into the Black Sea near the Russian resort of Sochi, killing all on board, authorities say.
The Airbus A320 disappeared from radar in bad weather just miles from shore early Wednesday, and news agencies reported local authorities as saying some bodies had already been pulled out of the water.
Rescuers have also found parts of the plane, baggage and life jackets about four miles (six kilometers) from the coast, Russian officials said.
Boats and divers are battling rough seas, driving rain and low visibility to recover what they can.
The plane belonged to Armavia Airlines, the largest airline in the former Soviet Republic of Armenia, according to a Reuters report.
The plane crashed shortly before it was to land at Adler airport near the Russian city of Sochi, The Associated Press quoted Emergency Situations Ministry spokesman Viktor Beltsov as saying.
The pilot had reported no problems before the crash. Controllers lost contact with the plane shortly after 2:15 a.m. Wednesday (10.15 p.m. GMT Tuesday), Beltsov said.
One official from Armavia told Reuters the plane crashed into the sea at a very steep angle, and the fuselage was lying on the seabed.
It is unknown whether bad weather was a factor in the crash, and many different reports are circulating as to what happened immediately before the plane went down.
Relatives of those aboard the plane were gathering at Yerevan for a charter flight to Sochi, AP reported.
http://www.cnn.com/2006/WORLD/europe/05/...index.html