Oct. 31--A Russian passenger jet carrying 224 people from an Egyptian tourist resort along the Red Sea crashed Saturday in a remote part of the violence-plagued Sinai Peninsula, killing all aboard, officials said.
The Metrojet Airbus A321, headed to St. Petersburg, had 214 Russian and three Ukrainian passengers aboard: 138 women, 62 men and 17 children, according to a statement from the Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Seven crew members also were on the charter flight
The cause of the crash was not immediately clear. An Islamic State-allied group quickly claimed it brought down the jet, which fell to the ground in a region where the Egyptian military has been battling an Islamist insurgency for years.
But Russian officials quickly disputed the claim.
The jet crashed a little more than 20 minutes after takeoff from Sharm el-Sheikh, according to Egypt's civilian aviation ministry. Various reports have said that the jet had reached an altitude between 31,000 and 40,000 feet, which some say would be beyond the range of smaller surface-to-air weapons.
The wreckage was spotted by Egyptian troops near al-Hasana. Most of the recovered bodies were burned, Egyptian military and security officials told the Associated Press. An unnamed security source told the Egyptian daily Al Masry Al Youm that 100 bodies, including the 17 children, had been found.
An Egyptian and Russian technical team was investigating the accident, as Egyptian state television announced that the 18-year-old plane's black box had been found at the site of the crash. Remains of the victims were being flown to Cairo's central morgue.
An Islamic State-allied group called Sinai State claimed responsibility for the crash in a statement distributed on Twitter. The group said it attacked Russian "crusaders" on the jet in retaliation for Russia's recent initiation of an air bombing campaign against fighters seeking to overthrow Syrian President Bashar Assad.
Egyptian authorities had yet to publicly respond to the claim by Sinai State. However, Russian Transport Minister Maksim Sokolov told Interfax news agency that the Sinai State's claims "cannot be considered true," adding that there was no indication the plane was targeted, he said.
Russian planes have had a spotty safety record. Problems were widely highlighted in 2011 when dozens of professional hockey players were killed in a charter jet crash. That year saw eight fatal crashes in Russia, the most since the early 1990s, according to data from the Aviation Safety Network. In 2013, 50 people were killed when a Boeing 737 operated by a regional airline crashed while attempting to land in central Russia.
The crash Saturday likely will add to concerns over tourist safety in Egypt as the government grapples with Islamist uprisings in remote regions. The Egyptian military shot eight Mexican tourists and four Egyptians in Egypt's Western Desert last month after mistaking them for terrorists.
In March, concerns over conflict in Sinai led the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration to post a warning to U.S. airlines not to fly lower than 26,000 feet over the peninsula.
Flights flying over Sinai or taking off from Sinai were "at risk from potential extremist attacks involving antiaircraft weapons, to include Man-Portable Air Defense Systems (MANPADS), small arms fire, and indirect fire from mortars and rockets targeting Sinai airports," the FAA said in a notice. "Some of these weapons have the capability to target aircraft at high altitudes and/or upon approach and departure."
A special crisis committee headed by Egyptian Prime Minister Sherif Ismail was formed at the request of Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Sisi. Russia's Investigative Committee, the country's top investigative body, has opened an inquiry into the crash, the AP reported.
Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry issued condolences to the Russian government, according to the foreign affairs ministry.
Egypt is a popular tourist destination for Russians, who make up almost 20% of arriving tourists, according to the Guardian.
Russian President Vladimir Putin declared Sunday a day of mourning for victims of the crash, ordering that flags be lowered and entertainment programs canceled.
The Egyptian Tourism Ministry announced it would temporarily halt its campaign in Russia promoting Egypt as a tourism destination "in consideration for the Russian peoples' feelings" following the crash.
Special correspondent Hassan reported from Cairo and staff writer Pearce from Los Angeles. The Associated Press also contributed to this report.
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