Russian plane crash: investigation begins into cause of A321 crash
Russian and Egyptian investigators have
been trying to establish the cause of the
crash of a Russian airliner in the Sinai
peninsula, after an Islamist group
claimed to have “brought it down” on
behalf of Islamic State. All 224
passengers, including 17 children, on
board the plane died after it crashed 23
minutes into its flight from Sharm el-
Sheikh to St Petersburg. Most of those on
board were Russian tourists.
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A group that said it was speaking on
behalf of Isis later posted an online
statement claiming: “Soldiers of the
caliphate were able to bring down a
Russian plane above Sinai province.”
Several radical Islamist groups have
called for attacks on Russian targets
since it began airstrikes on Isis forces in
Syria in late September, but experts
were sceptical that militants had
weapons able to reach the plane, which
was flying at an altitude of more than
30,000ft.
Russia’s transport minister, Maksim
Sokolov, said that the claim Isis
militants brought down the plane “can’t
be considered accurate”.
Mohamed Samir, Egypt’s army
spokesman, also disputed the claim,
saying: “They can put out whatever
statements they want but there is no
proof at this point that terrorists were
responsible for this plane crash. We will
know the true reasons when the Civil
Aviation Authority in coordination with
Russian authorities completes its
investigation.”
The Russian aviation regulator,
Rosaviatsia, urged caution while the
cause of the crash was being
investigated, saying: “Until there is
reliable evidence about the
circumstances of what happened, there
is no sense in putting forward and
discussing any versions.”
However, the claims are likely to impact
on the Russian public’s attitude to the
country’s involvement in Syria, where
Vladimir Putin, president of Russia, has
launched airstrikes in support of
President Bashar al-Assad and against
Isis fighters.
Investigators said they were checking
fuel samples from the last refuelling
stop, in the Russian city of Samara, and
have focused on the possibility that a
technical failure could have caused the
18-year-old plane to crash.
A spokesman said investigators were
questioning people who were involved
in preparing the aircraft and its crew
and were carrying out searches at
Moscow’s Domodedovo airport where
the airline that operated the plane was
based.
Kogalymavia, which is also known as
Metrojet, was quoted by news agency
Ria Novosti as saying that there were
“no grounds” to blame the tragedy on
human error. Captain Valery Nemov,
48, had 3,682 hours of flight time and
had learned to fly the A321 at a
training centre in Turkey in 2008.
Various reports suggested that a
mechanical problem could have played
a role. Security sources said an initial
examination of the crash site showed
the plane went down due to a technical
fault, Reuters reported. Ria Novosti
quoted a source in Sharm el-Sheikh
airport as saying that the crew of the
A321 appealed to the airport’s
technicians due to “engine start failures
several times over the past week”.
Putin spoke on the phone to his
Egyptian counterpart Abdel Fatah al-Sisi
to discuss the crash, the Kremlin said in
a statement. Sisi offered deep
condolences and Putin promised the
widest possible participation of Russian
specialists in the investigation into the
cause of the crash, the Kremlin said.
Distraught relatives gathered throughout
Saturday at St Petersburg’s Pulkovo
airport, where the flight had been due
to land at 12.10pm local time. The
youngest victim of the crash was
believed to be 10 months old.
Viktoria Sevryukova, 24, was another of
the names on a passenger list published
by Russia’s Association of Tour
Operators. She had posted photographs
of herself relaxing on the beach during
her holiday in Sharm el-Sheikh.
Sevryukova’s friend, Yevgenia
Beryozina, told the Guardian she felt
emptiness and could not believe the
news. “She was my best friend – she had
waited for this trip like I don’t know
what,” Beryozina said. “And now she’s
gone. Just like that, she’s gone.”
Beryozina described Sevryukova as
“positive, smart and sociable” and that
“everything was just starting to work
out” in her life. “It’s just not fair,” she
said.
“I now see a tragic scene,” an Egyptian
security officer at the site told Reuters
by telephone. “A lot of dead on the
ground and many who died whilst
strapped to their seats. The plane split
into two, a small part on the tail end
that burned, and a larger part that
crashed into a rockface. We have
extracted at least 100 bodies and the
rest are still inside.” The officer asked to
remain anonymous.
Both black boxes of the plane had been
found, Mohamed Hossam Kemal, the
civil aviation minister, told a news
conference.
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