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| Russian airliner crashes in central Sinai - Egyptian PM | Russian airliner crashes in central Sinai - Egyptian PM |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| A Russian airliner has crashed in central Sinai with more than 200 people on board, the office of Egypt's prime minister has confirmed. | A Russian airliner has crashed in central Sinai with more than 200 people on board, the office of Egypt's prime minister has confirmed. |
| The Airbus A-321 had just left the Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh, bound for the Russian city of St Petersburg. | |
| Wreckage of the plane has been found in the Hassana area. It disappeared from radar screens when travelling at 9,500m (31,000ft), Egyptian officials said. | |
| Egyptian officials said most on board are likely to have died. | |
| The plane was operated by the small Russian airline Kogalymavia, based in western Siberia. | |
| Russian authorities say it was carrying 217 passengers, 17 of them children, and seven crew. Most were Russian tourists. | |
| A centre to help relatives of the passengers has been set up at Pulkovo airport, Tass news agency quoted St Peterburg city officials as saying. | |
| 'Altitude loss' | |
| Initially there were conflicting reports about the fate of the plane, some suggesting it had disappeared over Cyprus. | Initially there were conflicting reports about the fate of the plane, some suggesting it had disappeared over Cyprus. |
| But the office of Egyptian Prime Minister Sharif Ismail confirmed in a statement that a "Russian civilian plane... crashed in the central Sinai". | But the office of Egyptian Prime Minister Sharif Ismail confirmed in a statement that a "Russian civilian plane... crashed in the central Sinai". |
| It added that Mr Ismail had formed a crisis committee to deal with the crash. | It added that Mr Ismail had formed a crisis committee to deal with the crash. |
| Media reports say at least 40 ambulances have been sent to the scene. | |
| The Russian aviation authority Rosaviatsiya said in a statement that flight 7K 9268 left Sharm el-Sheikh at 06:51 Moscow time (03:51 GMT) and had been due into St Petersburg's Pulkovo airport at 12:10. | The Russian aviation authority Rosaviatsiya said in a statement that flight 7K 9268 left Sharm el-Sheikh at 06:51 Moscow time (03:51 GMT) and had been due into St Petersburg's Pulkovo airport at 12:10. |
| The authority added that the aircraft failed to make scheduled contact with Cyprus air traffic control 23 minutes after take-off and disappeared from the radar. | The authority added that the aircraft failed to make scheduled contact with Cyprus air traffic control 23 minutes after take-off and disappeared from the radar. |
| Egypt's civilian aviation ministry said the plane had been at an altitude of 9,500m (31,000ft) when it disappeared. | |
| Live flight tracking service Flight Radar 24's Mikail Robertson confirmed the altitude. | |
| He told the BBC that the plane started to drop very fast, losing 1,500m in one minute before coverage was lost. | |
| The BBC's Orla Guerin in Cairo says it is likely there will be speculation about militant involvement in the incident - Sinai has an active militant network, with local Jihadis who have allied themselves to so-called Islamic State. | |
| But the aircraft's altitude suggests that it could not have been struck from the ground, she adds. | |
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