A storm has begun. Armchair experts on the Internet claim that after a storm it will only be easier for divers to work - the water itself will wash many things ashore. Those professionals who are now examining the sunken TU-154 think differently. Bad weather, on the contrary, will confuse all the cards. The head of the search and rescue unit of the southern regional search and rescue team of the Ministry of Emergency Situations, Vyacheslav Ivashchenko, told Komsomolskaya Pravda about how the search for the crashed plane is going on.
- Under what conditions do you have to work?
Almost ideal. The plane lies on a large underwater field. The depth is approximately the same everywhere - about 25 meters. That is, you can search during the day without special lighting; natural conditions are enough. The bottom is solid sandstone. There is almost no silt or dirt.
- And what can you find?
Large parts of the aircraft, small ones, some personal items. If we manage to find electronic devices - phones, tablets - they are immediately taken upstairs. Then they are sent for examination. Yesterday we lifted an aircraft engine weighing three tons from the bottom. There are also fragments of bodies (according to data, as of 18:40 on December 28, the remains of 16 people were found - Author)
Divers working underwater at the Tu-154 crash site.
- Are there any whole bodies?
Alas. This happens when you hit the water hard. The dead are literally torn apart. I saw something similar during the Armenian Airlines Airbus crash 10 years ago. Also near Adler. The injuries are similar.
(Recall that information appeared in the media that the bodies of the dead were found without clothes. Now it is clear why. By the way, the data that the passengers were wearing life jackets was also not confirmed.)
- How do you look for fragments at the bottom?
An anchor is lowered from a ship to the surface. I tie myself to it with a rope and begin to swim slowly in a circle. Then the rope lengthens, and I swim in a larger circle. The bottom is searched using such divergent trajectories. Small objects are tied with a rope and lifted by partners in the boat on the surface. Large aircraft parts are pulled out using a crane. I indicate the coordinates, a ship or barge with a lift floats on the surface. Then the find is tied with slings and lifted.
- What is more: personal belongings or aircraft parts?
90% - fuselage elements. Passengers' belongings are rarely found.
- They say the storm will help you.
No. The storm will shake everything at the bottom. Something may shift to already tested areas. In addition, now everything is clearly visible under water. And after the storm, the clouds will rise and work will become much more difficult.
- Is it psychologically difficult to swim underwater and find remains?
You need to set yourself up correctly. I focus on the idea that there is difficult but important work to be done. Return their loved ones to the relatives. Only I can do this. There will be no others. This kind of motivation helps.
- Are there any tricks to relax after work and reboot?
I return to my family, play with the children, and just try not to think about what lies at the bottom. Again, I remind myself that I don’t have an ordinary profession where anything can happen.
Vyacheslav Ivashchenko said that the divers of the Ministry of Emergency Situations work hard all day long. They go out to sea in the morning, when it begins to get light, and return to shore only in the evening when the sun sets. But even so, each submariner manages to work no more than two hours. The rest of the time is spent on diving and ascent, preparing equipment and refilling oxygen cylinders.
PHOTO REPORT
Rescuers from the Ministry of Emergency Situations lift the wreckage of a Tu-154 from the bottom of the Black Sea
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The search operation involves 45 ships, 15 deep-sea vehicles, 192 divers, 12 aircraft and five helicopters. A self-propelled crane arrived in the area of the plane crash to lift large debris.
About one and a half thousand fragments of the aircraft were discovered. On this moment managed to bring one third to the surface. Another 12 large pieces of debris were discovered. One of them is two by three meters, the second is about five meters long, the third is more than 60 meters long.
MEANWHILE
The main phase of the search for the wreckage of the crashed Tu-154 has ended
“The active phase of the search operation in the Black Sea has been completed,” the source said. The search group recovered almost all the fragments of the Tu-154 from the bottom of the sea. The group of ships that took part in the operation left the Black Sea
BY THE WAY
Rescuers from the Tu-154 crash site: The dead have the same injuries as the victims of the 2006 disaster
Since the day of the Tu-154 crash, rescuers have been working non-stop at the crash site in the Black Sea. They are raising from the bottom the bodies of the dead and the wreckage of the plane, on board at the time of the crash there were 92 people - crew members, artists of the ensemble named after. Alexandrova, journalists and Dr. Lisa.
Our photojournalist Vladimir Velengurin observes with his own eyes how divers work and how the search operation is progressing
Now we carefully read the Reuters message: Myanmar rescuers discovered in the Andaman Sea body(emphasis added by us - ed.) 62 passengers of the Y-8 military transport aircraft that crashed on June 7. In total, there were 122 people on board the plane - 14 crew members and 108 military personnel and members of their families.
It turns out that on the very first day of the search, the WHOLE bodies of half the victims of the disaster were found. Which fell along with the plane from a height of 5 kilometers!
During the rescue operation off the coast of Sochi, only 11 relatively intact bodies were found that could be identified without genetic testing. although our plane fell from a height 20 times lower - only 250 meters! And the speed of the liner, which did not have time to accelerate, was only 350 km/h. However, the condition of the corpses is this... Here is a fragment of an interview with a diver dated December 27, 2016:
- When was the first body discovered?
I didn't watch the clock. In addition, about 10 boats were working at once. We recovered the first body about three hours after the start of the operation following a tip from a helicopter. About one and a half kilometers from the coast.
- And who was it?
A woman of about 40. A tightly closed red suitcase floated next to her.
- Judging by your answer about her age, she was not disfigured?
She didn't have eyes...
- Were her clothes intact?..
She was wearing a badly torn cloak... And she was all broken... it seemed like she had no bones... We lifted two more from the water about a kilometer from the shore. Two military men, in uniform... Also torn... Young. Well, thirty, thirty-five years... And broken and broken bodies... That’s it, I can’t talk anymore, it’s hard... And there’s a lot of work.
- Did you notice any traces of burnt on the clothes or on the bodies?
The devil knows... The clothes are wet... And it’s hard to judge by the skin on the face - it’s burned or torn off on something hard when hit...
Alexander Ivanovich, according to the testimony of rescuers, some of the dead “have no eyes,” and their entire bodies “seem to be without bones.” What could this mean?
First of all, about two things: either there was an explosion and the passenger was close to its epicenter, or this was a consequence of a strong impact on the water, but not inside the liner, but outside it. That is, the plane, it turns out, fell apart while still in the air...
This version is also supported by the fact that the Tu-154 landing gear was found not far from the shore, although according to the logic of things, in the event of a plane crash (especially in the sea!) this device should still be somewhere near the fuselage.. This can only happen if the plane was broken into pieces in the air. Under the strong influence of some “internal” force.
- And if there is an explosion, what could it be from?
The explosion can be different. Jet fuel could have exploded, or TNT or plastic could have exploded - if there was a terrorist attack. These are very different things... But first of all, we need samples from those bodies that were the first to emerge from the water. The water in the sea is salty...
Now let’s clarify a fundamentally important point: the military expert spoke out even before the authorities decisively declared: an explosion on board is categorically excluded. After that, no experts in uniform put forward their versions related to the explosion on board, as if on command.
However, similar aircraft accidents, which were written about three days after the Tu-154 crash by historian and aircraft designer Mark Solonin and repeatedly by our technical expert Yuri Antipov, have not gone away. Now the “final version” of the Ministry of Defense about the loss of orientation by pilots again does not stand up to criticism. Not only did the plane in Myanmar fall from a 5-kilometer height and also into the water, but it - ironically - also belonged to the military!
Fast news today
The main part of the plane's body has still not been found - there may be many dead bodies inside
Search work continues in Sochi after the Tu-154 crash. It's already the third day since rescuers and divers go to sea. By 7 am everyone is already on their feet.
Seaport of Khosta. The Emergencies Ministry base is still tightly cordoned off. On Tuesday, a decision was made to completely cordon off the entire coastal area of Sochi. If on Monday it was still possible to walk on the sea pebbles along the edge of the sea, today entry to the beach is prohibited everywhere.
At the Khost sea pier, a candle next to a photograph of a girl in a mourning frame has not yet gone out since last night. Victoria Satarova. She was 20 years old. She devoted her entire short life to folk dancing. The deceased served in the Alexandrov ensemble for a little more than three months. Someone placed a figurine of a ballerina next to her photograph. A little further away - a scanned photograph in a transparent file of two young people - a guy and a girl in uniform...
Rescuers are closely monitoring the weather. It was reported that a storm was approaching at sea, so the belongings of the dead and the remains could be washed ashore at any moment. Therefore, it was decided to block all approaches to the beaches,” explains a coast service employee about the strengthening of the regime. - Don't let anyone near the water.
The wind at sea is getting stronger every hour. There has been a noticeable increase in rescue boats compared to previous days. A military helicopter has been spotted in the sky.
See photo report on the topic:
Ballerinas of the Alexandrov ensemble: the girls who died on the Tu-154 were beauties
— After even a slight disturbance at sea, five fragments of the Tu-154 were discovered this morning. Many people mistakenly think that calm is good for search engines,” says my interlocutor. “On the contrary, everyone is waiting for a storm that will make the guys’ work easier.” The fact is that the storm will lift from the bottom and bring to the shore something that for some reason is not visible and impossible to get. On Monday we waited for the storm like manna from heaven. Did not happen. We hope for today.
— What if a storm scatters the remains across the sea?
- Excluded. A storm can only wash everything ashore.
— Over the past 24 hours, as they said, only 12 bodies were discovered. Does this mean that the remaining bodies may not be available?
- Today and tomorrow is the X hour, when the sea will either give up the dead or take them for itself. That is why today we increased the number of boats at sea and sent reinforcements. You see, today the whole sea is in boats.
- I heard that the divers were also sent reinforcements...
— Initially, there were about thirty divers. Now their number has tripled. It's not easy for guys. The water temperature is no more than 5-6 degrees, no suits can protect you from the cold. Today, special equipment was loaded onto the boats, with the help of which the guys will be able to descend to a depth of up to 300 meters. This is already hard work. This is the third day I have been observing their work. Just imagine, they went to sea, and an hour or two later they returned, frozen, chilled to the bone. We quickly changed clothes, dried, warmed up and went back again. Everyone who is on land will never understand those who are at sea.
— Are search operations currently being carried out at shallow depths?
— So far, all the parts of the aircraft were found at a depth of 60-70 meters. This is not a critical depth for the Black Sea, everything is still visible there. When they completely “scan” the bottom at this depth, they will move on to search. The main task is to find the main body of the aircraft, where most of the dead are probably trapped.
— The location of the main part of the plane was never discovered?
- We haven’t found it yet. Apparently, the main part of the liner lies at great depths and is not visible. Rescuers have high hopes for this Tuesday.
- But this main part of the body could not have survived and also fell apart?
— They say it’s unlikely. That's why they think that most of the bodies could conceivably be “shackled” there.
— On Tuesday, rescuers discovered a black box - do you confirm this information?
- Do you see the helicopter flying? Aircraft are sent for just such things.
— What is included in the work of coastal services?
— Don’t let a single person go to the beach. Don't get us wrong, homeless people have become more active in connection with this situation. Such people come here early in the morning and carefully look to see if the sea has brought anything. When I was on duty on the first day, human remains washed ashore at my feet, charging from mobile phone, cosmetic bag, boots and sports bag. One of my colleagues saw the decorations. We must not allow strangers to pick up even small things from the crashed side. The job of the rescuers is to immediately wrap everything in black bags and send it to the Ministry of Emergency Situations base, from there the things go for examination. In the first days, the most things were found. Then on to the little things.
— Approximately how long will it take for search work?
“We were given a week to get everything that was possible from the bottom.” Must meet. Otherwise, the search will continue.
- That is, on New Year will lifeguards work?
- If necessary, of course, they will. This issue has already been discussed. Moreover, by order of the head of the city, it was decided to cancel the fireworks show in Sochi. After all, New Year’s fireworks were usually held here right above the sea. Now such fireworks will look blasphemous.
— You receive information almost first-hand. What versions of what happened do the rescuers themselves put forward?
“They prefer to wait for the official investigation.” As far as I've heard, the investigators themselves are at a dead end. Perhaps decoding the flight recorder will bring important information. And the fact that there are now witnesses who allegedly saw something is nonsense. The guys who are on duty at sea at night claim that it was impossible to see in detail how the plane fell from the shore. Still, the distance is decent. And you know how dark the nights in Sochi are. There aren't even stars.
— Do the divers comment on something, talk about their work?
— Divers practically don’t communicate with anyone. They emerge from the sea in the evening, darker than a cloud. It is considered a bad omen to engage in empty talk.
— Photos of the dead appeared on the pier. Perhaps their relatives left them?
— Relatives of the victims come here. They just try not to draw attention to themselves. Someone came for one day and said goodbye to their relatives in this way. Some decided to stay until the end of the search work. So they said: “It’s impossible to wait at home.” And there, you see, the girl is standing, nodding to the side. “She’s been coming here since Monday.” Almost every hour he goes up to the pier, stands for about five minutes, looks at the sea and leaves.
A young girl all in black. On the head there is a thick hood that completely covers the face. He is fiddling with a handkerchief in his hands. He brings it to his face. He shudders. Eyes red from crying. Looks into the distance. Something is whispering. It’s as if she’s asking the sky and the sea to return to her the one they took away.
Read previous reports from our special correspondent from Sochi:
“Before the Tu-154 crash, I noticed an incredible gathering of birds - thousands”
“We can’t rule out a terrorist attack on the Tu-154”: a check on the trustworthiness of airport employees has begun.”
See photo report
- When did you start searching for the bodies of Tu-154 passengers?
We were given the alarm sometime around 7am on Sunday. We waited another 30 minutes for the coordinates of the main search area - this information came from air traffic controllers. We went out to sea on boats. Soon helicopters from the search and rescue service of the Ministry of Defense appeared in the sky, then small ships and ships with divers began to approach.
- When was the first body discovered?
I didn't watch the clock. In addition, about 10 boats were working at once. We recovered the first body about three hours after the start of the operation following a tip from a helicopter. About one and a half kilometers from the coast.
- And who was it?
A woman of about 40. A tightly closed red suitcase floated next to her.
- Judging by your answer about her age, she was not disfigured?
She didn't have eyes...
- Were her clothes intact?..
She was wearing a badly torn cloak... And she was all broken... it seemed like she had no bones... We lifted two more from the water about a kilometer from the shore. Two military men, in uniform... Also torn... Young. Well, thirty, thirty-five years... And broken and broken bodies... That’s it, I can’t talk anymore, it’s hard... And there’s a lot of work.
- Did you notice any traces of burnt on the clothes or on the bodies?
The devil knows... The clothes are wet... And it’s hard to judge by the skin on the face - it’s burned or torn off on something hard when hit...
The plane, it turns out, fell apart while still in the air. This version is also supported by the fact that the Tu-154 chassis was found near the coast
EXPERT OPINION
“Either an explosion or a strong blow to the water”
Military forensic expert Captain II Rank Alexander KOLESNIKOV answers KP’s question
Photo of the fuselage fragments of the fallen Tu-154 recovered from the bottom of the Black Sea
As a result of a search operation in the Black Sea, part of the fuselage of a fallen Tu-154 aircraft of the Ministry of Defense was pulled out of the water. Specialists from the Ministry of Defense and the Ministry of Emergency Situations are working at the site of the plane crash - near Adler, almost opposite the airport.
The middle part of the fuselage was discovered approximately 1.8 kilometers off the coast of Sochi at a depth of approximately 25 meters. The fragment pulled out of the water reaches approximately five meters in length and five in width, Komsomolskaya Pravda correspondent Vladimir Velengurin reports from the site of the search and rescue operation.
Specialists from the Ministry of Defense and the Ministry of Emergency Situations are working at the crash site.
The middle part of the fuselage was discovered approximately 1.8 kilometers from the coast.
As the participants in the operation told KP, the plane, before falling into the water, was following a glide path towards the water - runway located perpendicular to the coastline.
The recovered fragment lay at the bottom at a depth of approximately 25 meters.
Rescuers pulled part of the fuselage of the fallen Tu-154 Ministry of Defense aircraft out of the water.
The fragment pulled out of the water reaches approximately five meters in length and five in width.
