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Sinai Plane Crash Victims Flown Back To Russia

The bodies of over 140 people who died in Saturday’s air crash in Egypt have been flown back to Russia. All 224 people on the … Continue reading Sinai Plane Crash Victims Flown Back To Russia


Sinai

SinaiThe bodies of over 140 people who died in Saturday’s air crash in Egypt have been flown back to Russia.

All 224 people on the plane – most of them Russians – died when it came down over the northern Sinai Peninsula. So far 163 bodies have been found.

According to Russia’s emergency ministry, which organised the flight, identification will begin later on Monday at a crematorium in Saint Petersburg where remains of the victims were to be taken in a motorcade.

Family members have been providing DNA samples at a crisis centre set up close to the airport, now the site of an impromptu memorial where people are bringing flowers and cuddly toys to commemorate the victims, many of them children as young as 10 months old.

On Sunday, Russia observed a day of mourning after experiencing its worst air disaster.

As investigations continue into the cause of the crash, Russian air transport agency head, Aleksandr Neradko, says the airliner disintegrated at high altitude.

The Kogalymavia airbus A321 came down early on Saturday, shortly after leaving the resort of Sharm el-Sheikh for the Russian city of St Petersburg.

Jihadists allied to the Islamic State (Is) in Sinai, claimed responsibility for the crash but Egypt’s Prime Minister dismissed claims by the Islamic State (ISIS), that it is responsible for the crash, saying a technical fault was most likely the cause.