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 taken off from the Red Sea resort of Sharm
el-Sheikh, on its way to the Russian city of St Petersburg.
There were conflicting reports about the fate of the plane, some suggesting
it had disappeared over Cyprus.
Most of the passengers are said to be Russian tourists.
The plane was operated by the small Russian airline Kogalymavia, based in
western Siberia. Latest reports say it was carrying 217 passengers and seven
crew.
A "Russian civilian plane... crashed in the central Sinai", the
office of Egyptian Prime Minister Sharif Ismail said in a statement.
It added that Mr Ismail had formed a crisis committee to deal with the
crash.
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.
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.
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