No Survivors Found From Russia Plane Crash

A Russian military passenger plane carrying members of the Red Army Choir as well as a prominent charity worker plunged into the Black Sea early on Sunday, just minutes after it took off en route to a military base in Syria. All 92 people on board are presumed dead.

This is the second national tragedy in less than a week: The Washington Post noted that the plane crash took place only six days after Russia's ambassador to Turkey, Andrei Karlov, was killed in public.

A huge search operation has taken place "round the clock" for survivors, but all those on board the aircraft are already presumed dead -- and Monday has already been declared a day of national mourning across the bereaved country. Among the victims was Elizaveta Glinka -- or Dr. Liza as she was known -- the executive director of the Fair Aid Charity and winner of Russian's state prize for achievements in human rights.

Defense ministry spokesman Maj. Gen. Igor Konashenkov said that powerful spotlights are being used to search for bodies, and plane debris and fragments of the aircraft were already said to be found just one mile from the Black Sea coast of Sochi at around 165 to 230 feet in depth. According to BBC News, some of the bodies were already found.

As of late, Transport Minister Maksim Sokolov said that the investigators are looking into an "entire spectrum" of possible causes of the crash, stressing that it is too early to make any conclusions. However, it was noted that the plane disappeared from radar only two minutes after taking off from the Adler Airport in Sochi.

Maj. Gen. Konashenkov also noted that the aircraft was serviced in September and had undergone substantial repairs in December 2014, with an "experienced" pilot on board. However, this type of plane has seen 39 fatal accidents -- few of which were due to technical problems and few were lost in conflicts with other countries, including Lebanon, Georgia and Afghanistan.