Russian passenger plane carrying 224 people crashes in Egypt

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By BNO NEWS

A Russian passenger plane carrying more than 220 people on board has crashed in a mountainous area of Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula, killing everyone on board, officials say.

Kogalymavia Flight 9268, an Airbus 321, was about 23 minutes into its flight on a route from the Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh to St. Petersburg in Russia when Egyptian air traffic control lost contact with the aircraft.

The plane was carrying 217 passengers, including 17 children, plus seven crew members. All except for three Ukrainians were Russian nationals.

The exact cause of the accident was not immediately known, but the crew of the aircraft had earlier reported a technical issue and requested a route change. Data automatically transmitted by the aircraft indicated a fast and sudden drop in altitude in the moments before the crash.

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