A Russian airliner has crashed in central Sinai with more than 200 people on board, seven of who crew members. The Airbus A-321 had just left the Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh, bound for the Russian city of St Petersburg, IPN reports, quoting the international press.
Egypt’s Prime Minister confirmed the crash and formed a cabinet-level committee to deal with the tragedy. Wreckage of the plane has been found in the Hassana area. Most of those on board, who were mainly Russian tourists, are likely to have died.
The flight was operated by the Russian airline Kogalymavia. Flight tracking websites show the plane lost contact with radar over central Sinai, 23 minutes after taking off from Sharm el-Sheikh.
According to foreign press reports, there are powerful elements of the Islamic State in the area of the crash so that a terrorist attack is not excluded.
