Kogalymavia Flight 9268 facts for kids
EI-ETJ, the aircraft destroyed in the bombing, seen here in 2014 in a previous livery
|
|
| Bombing summary | |
|---|---|
| Date | 31 October 2015 |
| Summary | Terrorist bombing, under criminal investigation |
| Place | Near Housna, North Sinai Governorate, Egypt 30°10′9″N 34°10′22″E / 30.16917°N 34.17278°E |
| Passengers | 217 |
| Crew | 7 |
| Fatalities | 224 |
| Survivors | 0 |
| Aircraft type | Airbus A321-231 |
| Airline/user | Kogalymavia (Metrojet) |
| Flew from | Sharm El Sheikh International Airport, Sinai Peninsula, Egypt |
| Flying to | Pulkovo Airport, Saint Petersburg, Russia |
Metrojet Flight 9268 was an international chartered passenger flight, operated by Russian airline Kogalymavia (branded as Metrojet). On 31 October 2015 at 06:13 local time EST (04:13 UTC), an Airbus A321-231 operating the flight was destroyed by a bomb above the northern Sinai following its departure from Sharm El Sheikh International Airport, Egypt, en route to Pulkovo Airport, Saint Petersburg, Russia.
All 224 passengers and crew who were on board were killed. The cause of the crash was most likely an onboard explosive device as concluded by Russian investigators. Investigators believe that a bomb was put in the aircraft at Sharm El Sheikh, with the goal of causing airlines to suspend flights to that airport. At the time, flights began to be stopped from and to Sharm El Sheikh in Egypt, causing around 20,000 British tourists to be stranded.
With its death toll of 224 people, Flight 9268 is the deadliest air disaster both in the history of Russian aviation and within Egyptian territory. It is also the deadliest air disaster involving an Airbus A321, as well as the deadliest involving an aircraft from the Airbus A320 family.
Shortly after the crash, the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL)'s Sinai Branch, claimed responsibility for the incident, which occurred in the vicinity of the Sinai insurgency. ISIL claimed responsibility on Twitter, on video, and in a statement by the leader of the group's Sinai branch. ISIL posted pictures of what it said was the bomb in its online magazine.
By 4 November 2015, British and American authorities suspected that a bomb was responsible for the crash. On 8 November 2015, an anonymous member of the Egyptian investigation team said the investigators were "90 percent sure" that the jet was brought down by a bomb.
The Russian Federal Security Service announced on 17 November that they were sure that it was a terrorist attack, caused by an improvised bomb containing the equivalent of up to 1 kilogram (2.2 lb) of TNT that detonated during the flight. The Russians said they had found explosive residue as evidence.
On 24 February 2016, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi acknowledged that terrorism caused the crash.
Images for kids
-
The aircraft involved photographed in 2000 while in service with Middle East Airlines
-
Last data received by Flightradar24.com
-
People place flowers and children's toys on the Palace Square, Saint Petersburg, 4 November 2015
-
Russian President Vladimir Putin on a meeting on the investigation of the crash
_02.jpg)
See also
In Spanish: Vuelo 9268 de Metrojet para niños
