Russian airliner crashes in Egypt: As it happened

By Biplob Ghosal | Last Updated: Saturday, October 31, 2015 - 23:43

A Russian airliner crashed on Saturday in Egypt's restive Sinai Peninsula. The civilian aircraft was carrying 217 passengers and seven crew members.

31 October 2015, 21:31 PM

Russian aviation regulator says no grounds yet to blame airliner crash on technical failure, mistake by crew or external action.

31 October 2015, 21:31 PM

Claim that terrorists caused Russian airlines crash in Egypt "can't be considered accurate", says Russian transport minister.

31 October 2015, 21:30 PM

The North Sinai prosecution office summoned air and ground traffic control officials for questioning over the incident, and ordered a technical team from the Civil Aviation Ministry to analyse the contents of the plane's black box, says state-owned newspaper Al-Ahram's website.

31 October 2015, 21:26 PM

Egypt prosecutor general to allow Russian government agency to participate in investigation of crashed Russian plane.

 

31 October 2015, 21:26 PM

Al-Sisi offered deep condolences and promised to create conditions for the widest possible participation of Russian specialists in the investigation into the cause of the crash, the Kremlin said.

31 October 2015, 21:25 PM

Russia's President Vladimir Putin has spoken on the phone with his Egyptian counterpart Abdel Fattah al-Sisi to discuss the crash of a Russian airliner in Egypt.

31 October 2015, 21:24 PM

Russian investigation committee says examining fuel samples from last refueling stop in Samara of airliner that crashed in Egypt.

31 October 2015, 19:55 PM

Islamic State group in Egypt claims it downed Russian airliner, reports news agency AFP. 

31 October 2015, 19:52 PM

Russian planes's Black box found, crew experienced technical difficulty: Reports.

31 October 2015, 18:03 PM

There are no survivors from Russian plane crash in Sinai, news agency AP quotes Egyptian officials as saying.

31 October 2015, 16:38 PM

Russsian President Vladimir Putin instructs Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev to form a state commission to investigate the crash of a Russian plane in Egypt.

31 October 2015, 16:11 PM

At least 100 bodies have been recovered from the Metrojet Flight crash site, reports say.

31 October 2015, 16:10 PM

The Kremlin says Russian President Vladimir Putin has ordered the emergency ministry to dispatch rescue teams to Egypt. 

"The head of state has given orders to send emergency ministry (teams) to Egypt immediately to work at the plane crash site," a statement reads.

A senior Egyptian aviation official says the plane was flying at an altitude of 30,000 feet when communication was lost.

31 October 2015, 16:00 PM

At least five children have been found dead from the wreckage of the plane. 17 children were travelling in the ill-fated plane.

31 October 2015, 15:54 PM

Rescuers from the plane crash site say aircraft split in two, reports Russia Today. 

Voices heard from inside the Metrojet Flight 7K9268 wreckage, reports say.

31 October 2015, 15:22 PM

Egypt has started evacuating 'casualties' from site of Russian plane crash.

31 October 2015, 14:59 PM

Egypt's government has launched an emergency response after a Russian plane crashes in Sinai. 45 ambulances have been rushed to the crash site to evacuate dead and wounded

31 October 2015, 14:53 PM

Egyptian security sources tell Reuters that there was no indication that the Russian plane had been shot down. Notably, Islamist militants are active in parts of Sinai. Few days back, Egyptian Army and police forces killed 25 Islamist militants during clashes in north Sinai.

31 October 2015, 14:41 PM

Egypt Prime Minister Sharif Ismail confirms that the wreckage of Russian passenger plane has been found in Sinai.

Also Read: 10 things to know about the ill-fated Russian plane

31 October 2015, 14:39 PM

Reports say that the wreckage of the ill-fated Russian plane have been found in the desolate mountainous area of Southern Arish.

31 October 2015, 14:35 PM

A Russian airliner crashed today in Egypt's restive Sinai Peninsula, the office of the prime minister said in a statement.

The office of Prime Minister Sharif Ismail said in a statement tha a "Russian civilian plane... Crashed in the central Sinai." 

The Russian aviation authority Rosaviatsiya said in a statement that Metrojet Flight 7K9268 left Sharm el-Sheikh at 6.51 am (local time) and was due into St Petersburg's Pulkovo airport at 12.10 pm.

The authority added that the aircraft failed to make scheduled contact with Cyprus air traffic control 23 minutes after take-off and disappeared from the radar.

31 October 2015, 14:34 PM

A Russian airliner carrying 217 passengers and seven crew members has gone missing over Egypt's Sinai peninsula and has possibly crashed, media reports said.

Earlier, in a conflicting report, news agency Reuters said that the Russian plane which was reported as missing earlier, has left Egyptian airspace safely.

"The ... Russian airline had told us that the Russian plane we lost contact with is safe and that it has contacted Turkish air traffic control and is passing through Turkish skies now," Ayman al-Muqaddam, the head of the central air traffic accident authority in Egypt, said in a statement.