MOSCOW (Sputnik) — Russian Transport Minister Maxim Sokolov denied on Saturday earlier media reports that Russian Airbus had been hit by an anti-aircraft missile allegedly fired by terrorists.
"Various media are reporting that the Russian Airbus, flying from Sharm El-Sheikh to Saint Petersburg, was shot down by an anti-aircraft missile fired by terrorists. This information cannot be considered reliable," Sokolov said.
Earlier in the day, Russian Kogalymavia airliner en route from Sharm El-Sheikh to Saint Petersburg disappeared on Saturday from radar screens at 5:21 a.m. local time (03:21 GMT) 23 minutes after take-off.
The Russian Transport Ministry said that there were 217 passengers and 7 crew members on board. The Russian embassy in Egypt confirmed all people on board the Kogalymavia Airbus were killed.
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Sisi expressed condolences to Russian President Vladimir Putin over the phone and vowed to allow Russian agencies to take part in the crash investigation.
