| Submit your comments on this article |
| Caucasus/Russia/Central Asia |
| Russian Passenger Jet Down in Egypt. All killed |
| 2015-10-31 |
| 48 hr rule A Russian airliner crashed in Egypt's Sinai peninsula early Saturday shortly after takeoff from a popular Red Sea resort town, killing all 224 people aboard, according to Egyptian officials and the Russian embassy in Cairo. The Metrojet flight, carrying 217 passengers and seven crew members, was en route from Sharm El-Sheikh in Egypt to St. Petersburg when it dropped off radar screens 23 minutes into the flight. "Unfortunately, all passengers 9268 Kogalymavia Sharm el-Sheikh-Petersburg were killed," The Russian embassy in Cairo said, in Russian, on Twitter. "We express our condolences to the family and friends." The Russian state-run news agency RIA reported initially that emergency workers heard some voices at the crash site, but the Associated Press quoted Egyptian officials later as saying there were no survivors. |
| Posted by:Frank G |
| #8 Ahram Online, Fred's main Egyptian news source, says they found the black boxes and, from the latest Al Ahram update: Pilot Ayman Al-Mokadem, who is heading a committee to monitor the crash aftermath, put the incident down to a "technical failure," rejecting earlier speculation that it was shot down over the restive peninsula. Al-Mokadem said that the pilot sensed the failure and reported to the aviation authorities that he wanted to land at the nearest airport, adding that the plane seems to have crashed while attempting to land at Al-Arish Airport in North Sinai. |
| Posted by: trailing wife 2015-10-31 15:58 |
| #7 right, but we all know it was the Joooos |
| Posted by: Frank G 2015-10-31 12:14 |
| #6 Frank, I could trip on the sidewalk and ISIS would claim responsibility. |
| Posted by: Rambler in Virginia 2015-10-31 11:57 |
| #5 FoxNews sez: apparently, the crew had complained about the engine conditions earlier? so the opportunistic claims need a load of salt |
| Posted by: Frank G 2015-10-31 11:48 |
| #4 ISIS claims responsibility |
| Posted by: Frank G 2015-10-31 11:46 |
| #3 It was not shot down. Prayers out. |
| Posted by: newc 2015-10-31 11:36 |
| #2 I don't see anyone claiming credit yet. The timing of this event to the Russian expansion against ISIS in Syria could certainly be an element. |
| Posted by: Besoeker 2015-10-31 10:43 |
| #1 ....A horrible tragedy made far worse by the fact that the two leading explanations involve either terrorism or Russian maintenance.. Mike |
| Posted by: Mike Kozlowski 2015-10-31 10:32 |