MOSCOW, Russia – Russia will on Saturday, November 7, send 44 planes to repatriate its nationals from two Egyptian Red Sea resorts, the Russian Federal Air Transport Agency said as suspicions grow that a bomb caused last weekend's plane crash.
Thirty empty planes would be sent to Hurghada, and 14 would be sent to Sharm El-Sheikh where a total of 78,000 Russian tourists are staying, the agency said in a statement.
On Friday, President Vladimir Putin ordered all Russian flights to Egypt to cease after Cairo and Moscow initially dismissed a claim by the Islamic State group that it downed the plane flying from Sharm el-Sheikh to Saint Petersburg, killing all 224 on board.
Mounting evidence that the Airbus A-321 was downed by a bomb has prompted several governments to warn their citizens against travelling to the Red Sea resort.
But Putin's order on Friday delivered a devastating blow to what is easily the jewel of Egyptian tourism and a favorite holiday hub for Russians. – Rappler.com