Page 9 - Aruba Today
P. 9
WORLD NEWS 9
Monday 2 November 2015
Official: Russian jet broke up at high altitude over Egypt
BRIAN ROHAN of mourners brought flow- technical inspection team Egyptian security forces stand guard by debris of a Russian air-
VLADIMIR ISACHENKOV ers, pictures of the victims, that included two Russians. plane at the site a day after the passenger jet bound for St. Pe-
Associated Press stuffed animals and paper “We are all shocked. It was tersburg, Russia crashed in Hassana, Egypt, on Sunday, Nov. 1,
SHARM EL-SHEIKH, Egypt planes to the city’s airport. a good plane. Everything 2015.
(AP) — The Russian jetliner Others went to churches checked out in 35 min-
that crashed shortly after and lit candles in memory utes,” the official told The Associated Press
takeoff from an Egyptian of the dead. Associated Press on Sun-
resort city broke up at high Elena Vikhareva had no day. The closest the plane function of the plane’s top government officials,
altitude, scattering frag- relatives aboard the flight, came to being in trouble, power system, which could members of the military
ments of wreckage over a but she went with her son to he said, was three months have triggered a fire or the and security forces. The in-
wide area in the Sinai Pen- lay flowers, saying that pain ago when the pilot abort- shutdown of both engines, vestigation “will take a long
insula, Russia’s top avia- was “piercing” her heart. ed takeoff halfway through he added. time” and “needs very ad-
tion official said Sunday as Vladimir Povarov and a because of a system error. Alexander Smirnov, Metro- vanced technologies.”
search teams raced to re- friend did the same, ex- “That’s almost routine jet’s deputy director, said A local affiliate of the ex-
cover the bodies of the 224 plaining that they couldn’t though,” he said. an engine failure would not tremist Islamic State group
people who died. “remain indifferent.” However, a Russian TV have caused the plane to claimed it “brought down”
Meanwhile in Russia, an The large area over which channel late Saturday crash. the aircraft, which crashed
outpouring of grief gripped fragments were found in- quoted the wife of the co- “An engine failure doesn’t in the same general area
the historic city of St. Peters- dicates that the jet disin- pilot as saying her husband lead to catastrophe,” he of northern Sinai where the
burg, home of many of the tegrated while flying high, had complained about the said on television. Smirnov Egyptian military and secu-
victims. President Vladimir said Alexander Neradko, plane’s condition. Natalya described the A321 as a rity forces have battled mili-
Putin declared a nation- head of Russia’s federal Trukhacheva, identified as reliable aircraft that would tants for years.
wide day of mourning, and aviation agency. He would the wife of Sergei Trukh- not fall into a spin even if The claim, in a statement
flags flew at half-staff. not comment on any pos- achev, said a daughter the pilots made a grave posted on social media,
Aviation experts joined the sible reason for the crash, “called him up before he error because automatic provided no supporting
searchers in a remote part citing the ongoing investi- flew out. He complained systems correct crew mis- evidence. The militants are
of the Sinai, seeking any gation. before the flight that the takes. not known to be capable
clues to what caused the Neradko was in Egypt to in- technical condition of the Egyptian President Abdel- of downing an aircraft at
Metrojet Airbus A321-200 spect the crash site along aircraft left much to be de- Fattah el-Sissi cautioned cruising altitude, although
to plummet abruptly from with Russia’s ministers of sired.” that the cause of the crash there have been persistent
31,000 feet just 23 minutes emergencies and trans- An Egyptian official had may not be known for media reports that they
after it departed from the port. previously said that before months. have acquired Russian
Red Sea resort of Sharm el- Transport Minister Maxim the plane lost contact with “It’s very important that this shoulder-fired, anti-aircraft
Sheikh bound for St. Peters- Sokolov thanked Egyptian air traffic controllers, the pi- issue is left alone and its missiles that are effective
burg. authorities for their help lot radioed that the aircraft causes are not speculated against low-flying war-
Aviation experts and the and said work on analyz- was experiencing techni- on,” he told a gathering of planes or helicopters.q
search teams were comb- ing the data and cockpit cal problems and that he
ing an area of 16 square voice recorders had not intended to try to land at
kilometers (more than 6 yet begun. the nearest airport.
square miles) to find bodies An Egyptian ground ser- Alexander Fridlyand, an ex-
and pieces of the jet. vice official who carried pert who leads a Moscow-
By midday, 163 bodies had out a preflight inspection of based aviation research
been recovered, accord- the plane said the aircraft center, said in televised re-
ing to the Egyptian govern- appeared to be in good marks that a quick plunge
ment. shape. Speaking on condi- from high altitude may in-
tion of anonymity because dicate that a plane was hit
Some of the dead were he was not authorized to by a bomb explosion in its
expected to be flown to speak to the media, he luggage compartment.
Russia later Sunday. said he was a member of a Another possibility is a mal-
In St. Petersburg, hundreds
