Plane Carrying 100 Crashes in Black Sea

MOSCOW, Wednesday, May 3 (Reuters) — An Armenian aircraft carrying about 100 people from Yerevan, the Armenian capital, to the Russian seaside resort of Sochi crashed into the Black Sea early Wednesday, the Emergencies Ministry said.

A ministry spokesman said helicopters sent to the scene had seen fragments of the plane on the surface of the sea about four miles from shore.

The spokesman, Viktor Beltsov, said the plane, an Airbus 320, had vanished from radar screens at 2:15 a.m. near Adler, the region of Sochi that houses the airport.

The plane was carrying at least five children, and difficult weather conditions complicated the search for survivors.

The ministry said the jet belonged to Armavia, an Armenian airline. Armavia officials were not available for comment.