SOCHI (Russia) Oct 7: Crash investigators and military experts from Israel and Ukraine joined the widening probe on Sunday into the causes of the mid-air explosion that downed a Russian airliner, claiming 78 lives.

The Ukrainian government announced that it was sending a top-level military delegation to Sochi after persistent reports that one of its ground-to-air missiles could have shot down the Sibir airlines Tu-154 flight from Tel Aviv last Thursday.

Meanwhile, a team of 20 Israeli experts arrived in Sochi to help Russian investigators search the crash site for clues to the tragedy, in which 51 Israeli citizens were killed.

“A delegation from the Ukrainian armed forces will be here tomorrow morning to help the expert investigation at the scene,” said Vladimir Potapov, the Security Council’s assistant secretary, on Sunday.

The six-strong delegation would be led by General Valery Kaminsky, the head of Ukraine’s anti-air defence force, Potapov added.

A spokesman for the Ukrainian defence ministry said that the delegation would provide “all the photographic, audio and radio information” it had relating to the relevant missile exercise in the Crimean peninsula.

“We will do everything possible to contribute to the work of the Russian experts,” the spokesman added.

The Russian authorities still believe a terrorist attack was the most likely cause of the explosion.

But Russian Defence Minister Sergei Ivanov said on Saturday that neither he nor President Vladimir Putin were satisfied with Ukrainian reports that an S-200 land-to-air missile exercise had nothing to do with the blast.

Ivanov added that he had sent an “urgent message” to his Ukrainian counterpart Olexander Kuzmuk to provide information on a missile he says was fired four minutes before the plane crashed on Thursday.

US authorities have also said they believe a Ukrainian missile was involved.

The Israeli rescue workers arrived Sunday in Sochi, a popular coastal resort 180 kilometres north of where the Sibir airline crashed into the sea.

Relatives of the Israeli victims were also expected to land here late on Sunday, and were due to be taken by ship on Monday, along with Russian mourners, to pay homage to their relatives near the crash site.

“We are here to help to identify bodies,” said Izak Kornio, an Israeli police administrator who arrived with the crew. Sixteen bodies have been recovered so far.—AFP