RUSSIAN TV CHANNELS AIR FIRST REPORTS OF SOCHI AIR CRASH
Sources:
RTR Russia TV
NTV
Channel One TV
Moscow 3 May 06
Following early agency reports about an air crash of an Armenian
Airbus A320 passenger jet near Sochi, all leading Russian TV channels
reported first details of the tragedy.
Russia TV channel at 0300 gmt led with a correspondent report from
Sochi. Presenter Irina Losyuk said that a rescue operation was in full
swing, with additional Emergencies Ministry and border guards boats
making their way to the scene, with special equipment for deep-water
rescue operations and a group of divers on board. The television
said 13 bodies had been recovered, and that there were 113 people on
board, including five children and eight crew members. An operative
headquarters of the rescue operations is working in Adler airport.
Russia TV showed the head of the southern regional search and rescue
detachment of the Russian Emergencies Ministry, Igor Nazdrim, saying
the following: “All our boats, big and small, have been summoned. Our
cutter Mangust which was on duty this morning was one of the first
to arrive on the scene. Small boats from all the rescue stations,
over 10 small boats are there. They are gathering the debris and
fragments, and we have found some bodies as well. We are continuing
our search. The sea is choppy, about force one, and a storm is
increasing. The current is flowing towards Sochi.”
The TV said that Armavia, the Armenian air carrier, which was set
up in 1996, owns three A320, a Yak-42, an An-24 and rents two Tu-154
aircraft. The airline has more than 500 staff, and the main office is
in Zvartnots international airport. Russia TV’s correspondent reported
from Yerevan on the phone to say that the airline has cancelled
half of its flights for today and the managers are at the airport,
leaving for Sochi at 0800 hours to be at the scene.
Relatives of the passengers are arriving at the airline office,
he added.
The presenter said that the crashed liner was made in 1995, and up
to 2002 it was used in Australia and then refitted in France to join
the Armenian airline fleet. It is not known when the aircraft was
last serviced, Russia TV said. It then recalled all previous crashes
involving this type of an aircraft.
NTV also started with the crash story at 0300 gmt. It quoted an earlier
Interfax report about 11 bodies found on the scene. It said that oil
spills and rescue vests can be seen on the scene. It is though that
technical faults have developed on board, the TV report said, adding
that the pilots tried several times to land the plane and that the
plane entered water at an angle of 60 degrees. The television carried
a telephone report of its correspondent from Sochi about the rescue
operation currently under way. The report said the early theory about
the cause of the crash is bad weather near Sochi.
The correspondent said that it was raining heavily in Sochi even at
the time of report.
The television said that another two boats from Novorossiysk and
Tuapse were on their way to the scene, with divers on board. It said
the debris sank to the depth of 300 m. An Il-76 was about to fly out
from Ramenskoye airfield near Moscow, with rescue equipment on board,
the television said, adding that another two amphibious planes were
joining the rescuers from there as well.
Channel One TV also led with the crash story at 0300 gmt. It showed
the first footage from Sochi which featured a rescue ship in the
port of Sochi just back from the scene. Correspondents interviewed
the rescuers who said the accident happened at about 4 km away from
the shore. The report also showed footage of Adler airport where
relatives of the crash victims were gathering. The TV also recalled
the technical parameters of the aircraft. It can carry up to 150
people for 5,000 km, its length is 37.5 m and the width is 34 m.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress
