Georgia saddened by Russian plane crash
By Messenger Staff
Monday, November 2
Georgia’s high-ranking officials have expressed deep sorrow over the recent crash of a Russian passenger plane. More than 220 lives were lost in the accident.
Georgia’s President and Prime Minister released special statements on November 1, expressed their sympathies to the families of the deceased; more than twenty children were amongst the casualties.
"I express my condolences to the families of the victims on behalf of the Georgian people at this very difficult time,” President Giorgi Margvelashvili stated.
“I offer my deepest condolences to the Russian people over the tragedy,” Georgia’s PM Irakli Garibashvili stressed.
The plane was carrying 217 passengers, including 25 children, Russian transport authorities said. There were seven crew members on board, according to the BBC.
Egyptian officials had said 213 of the passengers were Russian and four were Ukrainian, but Russian officials said at least one of the victims was from Belarus.
The bodies of 163 victims have so far been recovered and taken to Cairo.
The Kogalymavia Airbus A-321 came down early on Saturday, shortly after leaving the resort of Sharm el-Sheikh for the Russian city of St Petersburg.
Egypt's Civil Aviation Minister Hossam Kamal said there had been no sign of any problems onboard the flight, contradicting earlier reports that the pilot had asked to make an emergency landing, the BBC added.
Initially it was reported that ISIS, the Islamist militant group, might have been responsible for the fatal incident; however, Egypt's Prime Minister said a technical fault was most likely the cause of the crash dismissing accusations to the Islamic State faults. His analysis is supported by Sky News, who report that the co-pilot, Sergei Truchahev, confided to his daughter in a phone call that “the technical condition of the aircraft leaves much to be desired”.
