On Saturday, an Airbus A321 operated by Russian airline Kogalymavia crashed in the Sinai Peninsula en route from the Egyptian resort city of Sharm El-Sheikh to St. Petersburg. All 224 people on board were killed in the crash.
The tragedy has already been named the biggest civil aviation disaster in Russian and Soviet history.
The aircraft was carrying 217 passengers, including 25 children, and seven crew members.
Above: The fragments of the Airbus A321 Kogalymavia Flight 9268 from Sharm el-Sheikh to St. Petersburg, at the crash site 100 km south of El Arish in the northern Sinai Peninsula.
Above: The fragments of the Airbus A321 Kogalymavia Flight 9268 from Sharm el-Sheikh to St. Petersburg, at the crash site 100 km south of El Arish in the northern Sinai Peninsula.
Currently, investigators are considering various possible reasons of the crash, including a terrorist act.
Above: People mourn near a makeshift memorial for victims of the Russian airliner which crashed in Egypt, outside Pulkovo airport in St. Petersburg, Russia.
Above: People mourn near a makeshift memorial for victims of the Russian airliner which crashed in Egypt, outside Pulkovo airport in St. Petersburg, Russia.
Above: Debris belonging to the A321 Russian airliner is seen at the site of the crash in Wadi el-Zolmat, a mountainous area in Egypt's Sinai Peninsula.
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© Sputnik / Igor Russak
A day of mourning was declared in Russia on November 1. In St. Petersburg mourning is also declared for November 2-3.
Above: St. Petersburg residents lay flowers and light candles on Palace Square to mourn the victims of the Russian passenger airliner crash in Egypt.
Above: St. Petersburg residents lay flowers and light candles on Palace Square to mourn the victims of the Russian passenger airliner crash in Egypt.
The Airbus A321-231 (EI-ETJ) performed its maiden flight on May 9, 1997. Before the plane was purchased by Kogalymavia it was used by Lebanese airline MEA, Turkey’s Onur Air, and Saudi Arabian Airlines.
Above: The wreckage of Kogalymavia's Airbus A321 passenger airliner.
Above: The wreckage of Kogalymavia's Airbus A321 passenger airliner.
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© AP Photo / Mindaugas Kulbis
Above: People light candles to pay tribute to victims of the downed plane in Egypt, in front of the Russia's Embassy in Vilnius, Lithuania.
According to the airline, the A321 passed all necessary tests when entering the company’s fleet and its technical condition was good.
Above: An Egyptian military helicopter flies over debris from a Russian airliner which crashed at the Hassana area in Arish city, north Egypt.
Above: An Egyptian military helicopter flies over debris from a Russian airliner which crashed at the Hassana area in Arish city, north Egypt.
After the tail part of the Airbus A321 plane had sustained damages in 2001, the airliner was fully repaired. The technical condition of the plane was normal, Kogalymavia officials said.
Above: Passengers' luggage on the crash site of the Airbus A321 Kogalymavia Flight 9268 from Sharm el-Sheikh to St. Petersburg, 100 km south of El Arish in the northern Sinai Peninsula.
Above: Passengers' luggage on the crash site of the Airbus A321 Kogalymavia Flight 9268 from Sharm el-Sheikh to St. Petersburg, 100 km south of El Arish in the northern Sinai Peninsula.
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© Sputnik / Igor Russak
Above: People lay flowers at the entrance to Pulkovo Airport, St. Petersburg, to mourn the victims of the Russian plane crash in Egypt.
The company said that plane’s crew completely lost control over the aircraft as the disaster began to unfold. The Airbus A321 entered an uncontrolled flight as the catastrophe unfolded.
Above: A military investigator from Russia stands near the debris of a Russian airliner at the site of its crash at the Hassana area in Arish city, north Egypt.
Above: A military investigator from Russia stands near the debris of a Russian airliner at the site of its crash at the Hassana area in Arish city, north Egypt.
Leaders of many countries have expressed their condolences over the A321 crash in the Sinai Peninsula.
Above: People light candles and place flowers in central Saint Petersburg on November 1, 2015, in memory of the victims of the crash.
Above: People light candles and place flowers in central Saint Petersburg on November 1, 2015, in memory of the victims of the crash.
The Airbus A321 debris was scattered across an area of 3 miles in length across 2.5 miles in width.
Above: The debris of the Russian airliner is seen as an army vehicle guards the crash site in the al-Hasanah area in El Arish city, north Egypt.
Above: The debris of the Russian airliner is seen as an army vehicle guards the crash site in the al-Hasanah area in El Arish city, north Egypt.
The crash is being inspected by Russian and Egyptian specialists.
Above: A flower is seen near debris at the crash site of the Russian airliner in the al-Hasanah area in El Arish city, north Egypt.
Above: A flower is seen near debris at the crash site of the Russian airliner in the al-Hasanah area in El Arish city, north Egypt.
Above: A man looks at candles and flowers in Simferopol on November 1, 2015 in memory of the victims of the crash.
