A charter plane taking French holidaymakers home from the Egyptian resort of Sharm El-Sheikh crashed into the Red Sea yesterday, killing all 135 passengers and 13 crew. The Egyptian military sent helicopters and small patrol boats into the area where the Boeing 737 jet went down a little before 5 a.m., but the emergency teams found only bodies and body parts amid floating debris including suitcases. French Deputy Transportation Minister Dominique Bussereau told reporters at Charles de Gaulle Airport outside Paris that the pilot of Flash Airlines Flight FSH604 detected problems shortly after takeoff and tried to turn back. Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Maher said the crash âis not related to any terrorist actâ and the Civil Aviation Ministry called it an âaccidentâ apparently caused by a mechanical problem.
| Gotta work on that maintenance. God doesn't really take care of it. |
France said it was sending junior foreign minister Renaud Muselier to Cairo to coordinate investigations with the Egyptian authorities. |