Military plane crashes into Black Sea near Sochi

A Russian military plane with 92 people on board, including members of a famed army choir, has crashed into the Black Sea shortly after taking off, the Russian defence ministry has said.

There was no sign of survivors, the defence ministry said on Sunday, as President Vladimir Putin announced a national day of mourning.

The Tu-154 plane had departed from the southern Russian city of Adler on Sunday morning and was heading towards Latakia in Syria.

Magomed Tolboyev, a decorated Russian test pilot, said the circumstances of the crash indicated that all on board had died.

"There is no chance to survive in such situation," he said, according to the Interfax news agency. "The plane gets instantly blown into pieces."

By Sunday afternoon, rescue teams had already recovered 10 bodies.

A list of passengers and crew published by the ministry showed that 64 members of the renowned Alexandrov Ensemble, the army's official choir, and its conductor Valery Khalilov were on board the plane.

Members of the choir were travelling to Syria to celebrate the New Year with Russian troops.

The defence mininstry said a widely revered Russian charity doctor was also on board the plane, in addition to nine journalists, a Russian army general and five colonels.

"The site of the Tu-154 plane crash has been identified," news agencies quoted the ministry as saying.

The Alexandrov Ensemble was due to perform at the Khmeimim airbase, Russia's main base of operations for its military campaign in support of the Syrian government.

Russia has been supporting its longtime ally Syria with a bombing campaign against rebel groups for more than a year.

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad said on Sunday he was "saddened" by the crash.

In a condolence message sent to President Putin, Assad said the two countries were partners in the "fight to lay the foundations of stability, security and peace" in Syria.

Viktor Ozerov, head of Russia's defence affairs committee at the upper house of Russian parliament, said in remarks carried by the state news agency RIA Novosti that he "totally excludes terrorism" as a possible cause of the crash.

But Russia's transport minister Maxim Sokolov said an "entire spectrum" of possible reasons is being considered.