The crashed Russian airliner left all 224 passengers dead on Saturday
St. Petersburg: In a brutal aerial accident, 224 passengers of a Russian airliner were killed in the crash. The Metrojet airbus 321 that had been bound for Russia’s St. Petersburg was grounded in the middle of the Sinai dessert in Egypt, merely 23 minutes after takeoff from Sharm el-Sheikh. However, the crash is under the scanner, as various US-UK intelligence agencies suspect that the plane was bombed. In fact, the UK has cancelled all inbound as well as outbound flights from Sharm el-Sheikh.
Image Source: Telegraph UK
Despite the suggestion from credible agencies, the Kremlin and Egypt disagree with the ‘speculations’ and have expressed caution because the claim is devoid of any credible evidence. This comes even as representatives of the ISIS, a terrorist group based in the Middle East, have claimed responsibility for the crash. Since the casualties were majorly Russian nationals, authorities think that it could be an act of revenge against Russia, which is actively carrying out military strikes against the terrorist group in Syria. Commented the British Prime Minister, David Cameron, “We cannot be certain that the Russian airliner was brought down by a terrorist bomb, but it looks increasingly likely that that was the case.” An opposing party in the international efforts to cease the Syrian Civil war, the UK premier has decided to hold dialogue with the Russian President, Vladimir Putin for the same.
Heading the enquiry is Egypt, with full support from Russia and other international parties. Although Egyptian authorities have promised a check into the presence of explosive traces in the wreckage, it has been made clear that no conclusion would be arrived at for a few months at the least. Yet, a Russian representative has hinted at the country’s lack of belief in the theory, by saying, any explanations being put forward seem like unverified information or some sort of speculation.” The Egyptian head of Civil Aviation, Hossam Kamal, has emphasised on the lack of proof on the matter.
These comments from the UK came at a peculiar time, as the Egyptian President, Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, arrived on an official visit to the country. Naturally, the first course of discussion was the plane crash. He clarified on Thursday, “We do not want to rush into conclusion. We all share the same concerns. We want to know the reasons behind it. The investigation will be disclosed with all transparency, we have nothing to hide.”
Meanwhile, the UK premier confirmed that the evacuation of British nationals from Sharm el-Sheikh would stretch over a few days or weeks because the priority of the authorities at the moment is to ensure security at the airport. Egypt stated that it had complied with all of the UK’s requests of safety measures at the airbase. At the same time, Germany and other countries have cautioned travellers against choosing the Sinai Peninsula at such a delicate point in time.
Taking the discord a bit further, a Kremlin parliamentarian Konstantin Kosachev quoted, “ Britain’s move was “politically motivated by its opposition to Russia’s actions in Syria.” Co-operatively, the airline involved, Metrojet, assured that it had suspended all of its Airbus 321 flights for now. It is important to note that the airline’s management believes that the crash was caused by ‘external influence’.
While grieving families of the dead conduct their loved ones’ last rites, there were other distraught families, who awaited information from authorities at the airport. In any case, the investigations are fully under progress and if it does turn out that the crash was caused by a bomb, it will not only question Egypt’s ability to maintain security within its country at a time of severe extremist threats, but also Russia’s decision to take action in the Middle East.
Source:BBC
Tags: Egypt Metrojet airbus 321 Russia
