The body of Roman Volkov, the commander of the crashed Tu-154 plane of the Russian Defense Ministry, was found in the Black Sea waters near Sochi on Monday, Fontanka reports, citing a source close to the search operation headquarters.

The pilot’s body has not yet been officially identified. Bodies of two more casualties were fount on the site of the catastrophe, TASS reports, citing a source in the security agencies.

Search operation with the involvement of divers and deep-diving vehicles is underway near Sochi. The black boxes have not yet been found. The search becomes more difficult due to the strong current, which is supposed to have carried the bodies of the casualties to the waters of Abkhazia.  

70 workers of Abkhazia’s Emergency Situation Ministry are involved in the operation. Apart from this, 45 ships and five choppers are working on the scene, the Russian Defense Ministry reports. The group of drone aircraft is also increasing.