Article Posted on : - Nov 10, 2009

Tu-142M3 is a modified version of the Tu-95 Bear strategic bomber.

MOSCOW (BNS): Wreckage of a Russian military Tu-142 plane that crashed on Friday has been brought  to the surface by the Russian Pacific Fleet naval ships, a report by Ria Novosti said.

The Russian news agency quoting local emergencies spokesman said, overall, six large fragments of the Tu-142 fuselage have been brought up to the surface while fragments of human bodies have also been discovered.

Eleven people were on board the Pacific Fleet plane that went down during a combat training flight some 20 kilometers (12 miles) off the Tatar Strait, which separates mainland Russia from the Far East island of Sakhalin.

The remains of the plane were located on Saturday morning by several ships and planes at a depth of about 44 meters (144 feet), the report said. According to preliminary data, the crash was caused by a technical failure.