Egypt’s Prime Minister Sherif Ismail has confirmed that a passenger aircraft carrying at least 220 people has crashed in central Sinai, reported AFP. The confirmation comes after Egyptian air traffic control lost all contact with the passenger plane shortly after take off from Sharm El-Sheikh. Earlier, the Prime Minister had cancelled a trip to the governorate of Ismailiya after news of the crash. Egypt’s government has set up an emergency room to manage search and rescue operations. So far, rescue teams have pulled at least 100 bodies, including five children, from the wreckage of the plane, which split in two from the crash. Flight Kogalymavia 9268m, an Airbus 321, had been destined to land in St. Petersburg and was carrying mainly Russian tourists who had been holidaying in the Red Sea resort town of Sharm El-Sheikh. Russia Today meanwhile reports that the plane had been operated by Kolavia. A flight radar search of flight KGL9268 shows it suddenly dropping to a speed of 62 knots (115 km/h) after, minutes earlier, the plane was travelling at up to 400km/h. According to BBC, the Russian aviation authority said in a statement that…
Airplane Carrying 224 Civilians Crashes in Egypt’s Sinai: Prime Minister
October 31, 2015
