Black box finally in investigators' hands

Russian investigators have found the first black box that will indicate the causes of the military plane crash in the Black Sea, which resulted in the deaths of 92 people, British media report, writes Patria.

The passengers were members of the Red Army Choir and dancers en route to Syria, where they intended to perform for Russian soldiers for the New Year's holidays.

The investigation so far points to pilot error or a technical malfunction, rather than terrorism, as the cause of the Tupolev-154 crash into the sea.

The first black box, found in the water by a remotely operated vehicle at a depth of 17 meters and 1,600 meters, has been forwarded for analysis to the Russian Ministry of Defense.

Five more parts of the plane were found during the search, the ministry's statement said.

They added that the plane, which dates back to the Soviet era, specifically 1983, was last serviced in September and underwent major repairs in December 2014.

Russian pilots for the Tupolev-154 claim it has a good safety record, although major Russian airlines have replaced it with Western-made aircraft.

The last major TU-154 crash occurred in 2010 when a Polish plane carrying Lech Kaczynski and a large part of the Polish political elite crashed in western Russia, killing all passengers.

The ministry's statement said that rescue teams have so far located 12 bodies and 156 body fragments.