MOSCOW (Sputnik) — On Saturday, the Russian airliner, carrying 217 passengers and seven crew members crashed in the Sinai Peninsula en route from the Egyptian resort city of Sharm El-Sheikh to St. Petersburg. All people on board, including 25 children, were confirmed dead by Russian and Egyptian authorities.
"The Russian and Egyptian sides have reached mutual understanding on the investigation process…. [Russian] Transport Minister [Maxim] Sokolov thanked the Egyptian side for the assistance and support. Egyptian counterparts said that they will do everything possible in the coming days to help Russia collect all the necessary facts to determine the causes of the tragedy, " the Russian Transport Ministry press-service said.The government commission was established shortly after the tragedy.
Shortly following the crash, Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered to set up the government investigative commission on the Kogalymavia airliner’s crash.
Russian Transport Minister Sokolov is taking charge of the commission. According to him, the investigation is to be carried out in close cooperation with Egyptian civil aviation authorities, adding that the cause of the catastrophe can be debated only after an international investigation is conducted.
