The Kremlin has declared Nov. 1 a day of mourning after a Russian passenger plane carrying 224 people crashed Saturday in the Sinai Peninsula, killing everyone on board, officials said.
The Metrojet plane, an Airbus A-321 operated by Kogalymavia airline, had just taken off from the airport in Sharm el-Sheik — a Red Sea report popular with Russian tourists — en route to St. Petersburg, when the pilot reported technical difficulties. The pilot requested to make an emergency landing before losing contact with air traffic controllers, about 25 minutes after its initial ascend.
According to the Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, there were 214 Russian and three Ukrainian passengers aboard Flight 7K-9268, including 138 women, 62 men and 17 children. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Belarus tweeted that one of their citizens was also on the plane.
As tearful relatives gathered at the Pulkovo airport in St. Petersburg, President Vladmir Putin ordered government ministries to offer immediate assistance to the family members of those who died, according to Reuters.
