The Egyptian Aviation Authority says they have located the crashed plane in southern Arish, Sinai.
Advertisement
Many of those who came to pick up friends or relatives were in denial as reports trickled about the fate of the 224 people who had been onboard the Airbus 321 operated by the Russian carrier Kogalymavia.
Latest reports said it was carrying 217 passengers and seven crew.
The 18-year-old jet was operating flight KGL-9268/7K-9268 from Sharm el Sheikh in Egypt to St. Petersburg in Russian Federation.
The flight had left Sharm El-Sheikh at 03:51 GMT and was due into St Petersburg’s Pulkovo airport at 12:10, according to the BBC. Later however, Egypt’s Prime Minister confirmed the aircraft had crashed. It reached an altitude of 31,000 feet before disappearing from radar.
The Metrojet Airbus A321-200 (registration EI-ETJ) is listed in the Irish Aviation Authority’s (IAA) Register of Aircraft as being owned Wilmington Trust SP Services Dublin Ltd with offices in the Irish Financial Services Centre (IFSC) at George’s Dock in Dublin.
A Russian airliner operated by Kogalymavia crashed Saturday, Egyptian Prime Minister Sharif Ismail confirmed, according to Agence France-Presse.
Mahgoub said the aircraft had successfully undergone technical checks while at Sharm el-Sheikh’s airport.
Russia’s Foreign Ministry reported on its official Facebook page that staff at the Russian embassy in Egypt were monitoring the situation.
Egyptian security forces have been waging major operations against a burgeoning insurgency in the northern Sinai peninsula, including the city of el-Arish.
Sinai-based militants who support Islamic State have killed hundreds of Egyptian soldiers and police and have also attacked Western targets in recent months.
Officials and the state MENA news agency later said the “casualties” were being transferred to a Cairo morgue and hospitals. “Larnaca, however this did not happen and the plane disappeared from the radar screens”.
Advertisement
The plane took off early Saturday from Sharm el-Sheikh, a popular Red Sea tourist destination for Russians. A search and rescue team is looking for the plane.
