From Cairo in Egypt to Moscow in Russia, tears, misery and sorrow pervade the air as a Russian charter plane conveying 224 passengers, including a 10-month-old baby crashed in Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula, killing all on board, according to Egyptian authorities.
Kogalymavia flight 9268 carrying 214 Russian and three Ukrainian passengers, with seven crew members, reportedly took off from the Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, with Saint Petersburg, Russia, its proposed destination, before losing contact with the air traffic control centre minutes later.
According to Egyptian authorities, the wreckage of the flight was found 100 kilometres (60 miles) south of the North Sinai town of El-Arish.
Confirming the report from Egyptian authorities that none survived, Russian Embassy officials in Cairo said “Unfortunately, all passengers of Kogalymavia flight 9268 Sharm el-Sheikh-Saint Petersburg have died. We issue condolences to family and friends.”
The Islamic State (IS) claimed responsibility for the crash, with an affiliate based in the Sinai region of Egypt saying that “the soldiers of the caliphate succeeded in bringing down a Russian plane”.
Military forces have refuted their claims, stating that the Islamic State in Sinai do not have surface-to-air missiles capable of hitting a plane in high altitude.
However, they did not rule out the possibility of a bomb on board the plane or a surface-to-air missile if the plane attempted an emergency landing.
Authorities are yet to confirm the cause of the crash and IS failed to explain how it succeeded in bringing down the plane, which leaves any talk of a possible cause as mere speculation.
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