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Relatives of the those who died in the crash of a Tupolev Tu-154 plane grieve at the Novosibirsk airport
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Russia launched an investigation into yesterday's crash of a passenger plane over the Black Sea under a criminal code dealing with terrorism.
The inquiry began as rescuers continued to search for the bodies of up to 78 people who were on board the aircraft when it exploded in mid-air during a flight from Israel to Siberia.
President Vladimir Putin said yesterday the crash might be a terrorist act, but later called on the media not to sensationalise the accident.
Aviation experts are hunting for clues to the cause of the mysterious crash.
An Emergency Ministry spokesman in Moscow said 11 ships were involved in the crash-area search. He said the bodies of 11 men and two women had been recovered.
Ukraine was quick to dismiss US suggestions the Russian aircraft might have been accidentally hit by a missile test-fired by the Ukrainian military.
Russian President Mr Vladimir Putin said terrorists may have caused the crash and that he had no reason to doubt a Ukrainian denial stressing missiles used in the exercise did not have the range to reach the aircraft.
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Mr Putin - refused to rule
out terrorist attack |
A US official, requesting anonymity, said in Washington there was every indication it had been caused by a missile, as a spy satellite had detected a missile's rocket plume.
But a Russian spokesman said Ukrainian President Mr Leonid Kuchma said there was absolutely no basis to accuse the Ukrainian military of any involvement.
Moreover, Russian security sources, quoted by Interfax news agency, said the Ukrainian exercises had been taking place more than 320 kilmetres from where the aircraft came down.
The mid-air explosion of the Sibir airlines jet, on a scheduled flight from Tel Aviv to Novosibirsk in Siberia, triggered fears of sabotage following the September 11th airliner attacks in the United States.
Official accounts of the number of passengers and crew on board varied between 74 and 78. An Emergencies Ministry official in Novosibirsk said the crew were all Russian but that most of the 65 or so passengers were Israeli citizens.