217 passengers and 7 crew members all died on Saturday in the Russian Airbus A321-200 which crashed on Sinai in Egypt. Putin has ordered ...
Russian media houses said that the pilot
reported technical problems and requested a landing at the nearest
airport before the plane went missing, but Egyptian authorities disputed
that claim.
"Air traffic control
recordings don't show any distress calls", Egyptian Civil Aviation
Minister Hossam Kamel said at a news conference. He added by saying no evidence from the so-called black box gave them any indication that they had any flight challenge. The flight crashed technically just a few moments after take-off at its safest stage.
However, most of the passengers had their seat belts securely strapped to their bodies which shows they had been warned of a disaster occurring.
According to Egyptian authorities, Flight 9268 crashed about 300 kilometres farther north near a town called Housna.
ISIS-affiliated militants who are locked in a deadly conflict with Egyptian security forces appeared to claim responsibility for bringing down the Russian passenger jet in a statement posted online Saturday, but officials in Egypt and Russia have dismissed it.
It still remains unclear what caused Flight 9268 to suddenly drop off radar amidst clear weather after only 23 minutes in the air. At this point, the plane was on autopilot and reaching its initial cruising altitude. Meanwhile, the families continue to mourn thier loved ones and Putin has called for a National Day of Mourning after the tragedy. The Egyptian government said Sunday that 163 bodies have so far been transported to morgues and hospitals in Cairo while the search continues for others at the site. Russian government aircraft were expected to start transporting them to St. Petersburg.
