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British gov't holds emergency meeting to review situation at Egyptian airport

Xinhua, November 7, 2015 Adjust font size:

The British government on Friday hold an emergency meeting to review the situation at Egypt's Sharm el-Sheikh airport, where a large number of British tourists were stranded following a Russian plane crash last week.

"This is a hugely complex operation. We continue to work closely with both the Egyptian authorities and the airline carriers to get people safely home as quickly as possible. But the sheer scale of the task poses a number of logistical complexities," a Downing Street spokesperson said following the cabinet meeting.

An Airbus A-321 operated by Russian airline Kogalymavia carrying seven crew members and 217 passengers, most of whom were Russians, crashed Saturday in the Sinai Peninsula shortly after it took off from Egypt's Red Sea Resort Sharm el-Sheikh.

Britain has begun an operation to bring back British tourists stranded in Sharm el-Sheikh amid fears that the Russian plane crash was caused by a bomb.

"Our aim remains to bring holidaymakers back to the UK as soon as possible. We are working with airlines to ensure passengers get the message not to make the journey to Sharm airport until airlines have absolute confirmation that they will be able to travel," the spokesperson added.

British intelligence officials indicated that terrorism was likely to blame for the disaster.

"There is a significant possibility that the crash was caused by an explosive device. As a precautionary measure, we are now advising against all but essential travel by air to or from Sharm el-Sheikh," the British Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) said in its latest travel advice.

British nationals in Sharm were also advised to check with their airline or tour operator on their travel plans. Endit