Earlier today, we reported a Russian passenger airliner with 224 people aboard crashed in the Sinai Peninsula killing all passengers on board.
According to the Russian Embassy in Cairo, many of the 217 passengers were Russians returning from vacation, including 17 children.
Egyptian officials, said the plane had departed the Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh in the Sinai on a flight to St. Petersburg, Russia before the plane crashed.
As the day wears on, here’s what we are learning from CNN:
•Al-Ahram, an Egyptian state-run newspaper, quoting medical sources, reports that 100 intact bodies have been recovered and are being prepared for transfer to a morgue in Cairo, but other bodies are in pieces.
• An Egyptian investigation team has reached the crash site of the crashed jet in Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula, state-run Nile TV reports, citing the minister of civil aviation.
• Airbus, the plane’s maker, issues a statement on Twitter: “We are aware of the media reports,” the tweet reads. “Efforts are now going towards assessing the situation. We’ll provide more information as soon as available.”
• Russian President Vladimir Putin declares an official day of mourning Sunday for victims of the crash, the Kremlin says. And he is ordering Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev to open an investigation into the crash.
• The Northern Sinai medical department declares a state of emergency, according to Al-Ahram. The Prime Minister’s office reports that 50 ambulances have been dispatched to the area, which is mountainous.
• The Russian emergency ministry will send five planes to the area to help with possible rescues and the investigation. Russia has opened a hotline for relatives, many of whom have already gathered at the airport in St. Petersburg.
More details soon…