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Explosives Found In Wreckage Of Both Russian Planes


29 August 2004 -- Russian investigators are continuing their probe into the near simultaneous crashes of two airliners on 24 August after finding traces of explosives at both wreckage sites.

All 90 people on board the two planes died.

Sergei Ignatchenko, a spokesman for the Federal Security Service (FSB), says the high explosive hexogen has been found on the Tu-134 airliner that went down south of Moscow.

Traces of the same explosive were also found on a Tu-154 plane that crashed near Rostov in southwestern Russia.

Reports say crash investigators are looking into the backgrounds of two female passengers who boarded under Chechen names, one on each plane.

Ignatchenko says the FSB has been directed by President Vladimir Putin to study other countries' practices in order to improve air security, especially the methods used by Israel.

(Agencies)

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