MOSCOW, January 3rd, 2004 (RIA Novosti correspondent) - The Russian embassy in Cairo is now trying to find out whether there were any Russian citizens onboard the crashed aircraft, official spokesman for the Russian foreign ministry Alexander Yakovenko told RIA Novosti.
The aircraft with chiefly French tourists onboard fell into the Red Sea near the Egyptian resort Sharm-el-Sheikh in Sinai on Saturday morning, reported the Egyptian MENA agency. The aircraft, Boeing 737, operated by the Egyptian private Flash Airlines was making a charter flight from Sharm-el-Sheikh to Cairo. A few minutes after the takeoff the plane disappeared from radar screens.
According to the agency, the plane was carrying 135 passengers, including 127 French tourists, and six crewmembers.
