Russian President Vladimir Putin declared a day of mourning after a Russian plane with 92 people on board crashed into the Black Sea minutes after taking off from the coastal town of Sochi, according to local reports.
There appear to be no survivors, according to a statement from the Russian Defense Ministry.
The plane, which belongs to the Russian Defense Ministry, was carrying members of the Russian army's official choir to a military base in Syria for a New Year's concert.
Recovery crews pulled several bodies from the water as drones, divers, helicopters and ships searched for the remains of other passengers, the Russian Defense Ministry said in a statement.
Officials do not believe the plane crash was caused by an act of terrorism, according to Viktor Ozerov, head of the defense affairs committee at the upper house of Russian parliament, AP reported.
Ozeroy said the Tu-154 was operated by the military, so the crash may have stemmed from a mechanical problem or a crew error.
The plane disappeared from radar two minutes after taking off from Sochi, AP reported. The crash site is less than a mile from the shore.
