BREAKING: Egypt PM’s Office confirms Russian passenger plane crashed in Sinai

The office of the Egyptian Prime Minister confirmed Saturday that the Russian passenger plane -Airbus-a321 airline “Kogalymavia”-crashed in central Sinai.

The Egyptian air traffic control lost contact with a civilian airliner carrying 212 people shortly after it took off from the Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh to head to Russia, aviation sources said on Saturday.

The sources said the passenger plane was mainly carrying Russian tourists and that a search was underway.

Security sources in the Sinai Peninsula confirmed reports that an aircraft was missing.

 According to the Russian news agency RIA Novosti, a source in the Federal Air Transport Agencythat told the airliner Airbus-321 of airline “Kogalymavia” which fly 9268 Sharm el-Sheikh – Saint Petersburg, flew from Egypt to 6.21 (MSK) and disappeared from radar screens 23 minutes on onboard there were 217 passengers and seven crew members.

Source: Reuters & RIA Novosti