AU Commission Chairperson expresses condolences to the families of crashed Russian Airliner KGL9268 victims

The African Union Commission (AUC) Chairperson, Dr. Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma, has expressed condolences to the families of the 224 passengers who lost their lives in the Russian airliner that crashed in Egypt's Sinai Peninsula on Saturday 31 October 2015.

“It is with deep sorrow that I extend sincere condolences to the grieving families who lost their loved ones in this terrible tragedy”, Dr Dlamini Zuma said in a statement this morning. “My thoughts and prayers are with the victims' relatives and Africa joins the Governments and people of Egypt, the Russian Federation and other grieving nationalities in mourning this profound loss.”

The Russian passenger plane, flight KGL9268, is said to have been carrying holiday makers from the Sharm el-Sheikh Red Sea resort in Egypt to the Russian city of St. Petersburg when it crashed into the central part of Egypt's Sinai Peninsula. All 224 people on board were killed, including 17 children, 7 cabin crew and three Ukrainian tourists.

Investigators currently believe the crash was precipitated by a mechanical fault which resulted in the plane crashing vertically into a mountainous region of the Sinai Peninsula. The Egyptian authorities have formed a committee to investigate the tragedy, according to a report released by the Prime Minister's office.