A Russian plane has crashed in Egypt’s central Sinai region

A Russian plane has crashed in Egypt’s central Sinai region, with the aircraft found “completely destroyed” and at least 100 bodies already recovered, according to reports.Media outlets gave conflicting accounts after news of the crash emerged, with the total number of passengers on board put as high as 224.Radar lost contact with the plane in Cypriot airspace about 25 minutes after it took off from the Sinai coastal resort area of Sharm el-Sheikh, Reuters reported.The plane was Airbus A-321 operated by Russian airline Kogalymavia, the newswire reported, citing Russian news agency RIA.Russia’s Tass news agency reported that the plane, which it said was an A-320, had requested an emergency landing at the nearest airport shortly before disappearing from radar screen, with the captain telling air traffic controllers in Cairo that the plane was suffering a radio malfunction.
According to the Egyptian Aviation Authority, the aircraft was flying at 31,000 feet when it dropped off radar.The wreckage of the plane, which carried registration number KGL-9268, was located by an Egyptian rescue team, the authority told Reuters.