Russian President Vladimir Putin has suspended all Russian flights to Egypt – telling authorities to repatriate Russians in the Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh in the wake of Saturday’s plane crash in the Sinai.
Advertisement
He said: “I think there’s a possibility that there was a bomb on board”.
“Until we know the real reasons for what happened, I consider it expedient to stop Russian flights to Egypt”, said Bortnikov.
According to the BBC’s website, there are around 2,000 British holidaymakers now in Sharm el-Sheikh.
“Australian travellers affected by delays to flights from Sharm el Sheikh are advised to contact their airline or travel agent for the latest information on flight disruptions and on airline plans to reschedule departures”, she said.
Britain and Ireland suspend flights to Sharm el-Sheikh to assess security.
“The meeting today between Michael Fallon and the Egyptian President allowed the leaders to discuss shared security concerns and thoughts on defeating terrorism and countering extremism in the region, particularly in light of the Sinai air crash”, the ministry of defense (MoD) said in a statement.
Extra staff have been sent to Sharm el-Sheikh airport to help Britons there.
The communications were discovered after the bomb that brought down the Russian plane.
A Number 10 spokeswoman said: “While the investigation is still ongoing we can not say categorically why the Russian jet crashed – but as more information has come to light we have become concerned that the plane may well have been brought down by an explosive device”. The company has ruled out a pilot error or a technical fault as a possible cause of the crash, drawing criticism from Russian officials for speaking with such certainty too soon.
As we’ve reported, Metrojet Flight 9268 broke up midair over the Sinai Peninsula, killing all 224 people aboard.
Egypt, meanwhile, condemned the British travel ban as an overreaction, with its minister of civil aviation, Hossam Kamal, insisting that the country’s airports meet worldwide security standards.
Advertisement
“The theory of an explosive device, with local complicity, is being taken seriously”. Brian Rohan from Luxor, Egypt, Ken Dilanian in Washington, Jill Lawless in London and Vladimir Isachenkov in Moscow and Dmitry Lovetsky in Veliky Novgorod, Russian Federation also contributed. The officials believe the conventional explosive may have been planted by Islamic State or an affiliate, CNN said. We are the ones with God’s blessing who brought it down.
