The Russian ambassador in Cairo says the black box of the downed Russian airliner in Sinai on Saturday will be flown to Moscow. The ambassador declined to say whether the pilot made a distress call before the aircraft crashed.
Pope Francis voices his condolences and prayers to Russia following the deadly plane crash in Egypt.
The footage by Russia’s VGTRK channel shows the area in Sinai scattered with the burnt remains of the crashed passenger jet which had been taking tourists from Egypt to Russia.
The causes of the crash are unknown, as the flight data recorders, which have already been retrieved, are yet to be decoded. The Interstate Aviation Committee has theorized that the plane disintegrated mid-air at a high altitude since its debris are now scattered across an area of some 20 square kilometers.
The bodies of the victims are now being taken to Russia. At least three Ukrainians and one Belorussian national were among them.
Russia’s Emergencies Ministry has sent a team of almost 100 officers to the scene to collect the debris. The ministry first wants to observe the scene with drones.
