A Russian airliner crashed today in Egypt's restive Sinai Peninsula, the office of the prime minister said in a statement.
A "Russian civilian plane... Crashed in the central Sinai," the office of Prime Minister Sharif Ismail said in a statement.
A senior aviation official said it was a charter flight operated by a Russian company and had on board 217 passengers and seven crew members. Communication with the aircraft was lost, he added.