An Islamic State affiliate group operating in Egypt has claimed responsibility for the airplane crash of Russian passenger Airbus 321 belonging to Kogalymavia airlines in the Sinai peninsula. Islamic militants, waging an insurgency in the area, released a statement:
“The soldiers of the caliphate succeeded in bringing down a Russian plane in Sinai.”
The group has also released a video that is circulating on social media:
Emergency services say there are no survivors of the 224 people on board flight 9268 traveling from Sharm el-Sheikh to Saint Petersburg. There were 214 Russian and three Ukrainian passengers as well as seven crew members. There were 17 children among the dead, including a 10-month old girl. The bodies of the passengers and debris are spread over an area of five square kilometers.
The flight lost contact with air traffic control 23 minutes after take off. A senior Egyptian air traffic control official said the pilot, in the last communication with the control center, had reported that he had engine trouble and intended to land at the nearest airport.
