Lexi Anderson
News Editor
On October 31, a Russian plane crashed in Sinai, Egypt, killing all 224 passengers aboard. Now, the exact cause of this disastrous event is being investigated, causing an uproar of conflicting ideas.
The plane was en route to St.Petersburg, Russia from Sharm el Sheikh, Egypt when it crashed. About 25 minutes into the flight, the plane suddenly plummeted and disappeared from radar. The wreckage from the plane was spread over an 8 square mile piece of desert, evidence that the plane had disintegrated before it fell towards the ground. A memorial service was held in St. Petersburg at the city's St. Isaac's Cathedral. The cathedral bell was rung 224 times, in memory of each victim. So far, the remains of 58 victims have been identified through DNA testing.
The source of the crash is still a mystery, although opinions and ideas have been circulating. President Obama thinks that there may have been a bomb on the plane, while Britain has jumped to an even more extreme idea that terrorists were behind the crash. Hossam Kamal, the Egyptian minister of civil aviation, is urging against jumping to conclusions so soon, saying that there is no evidence of a bombing. Egypt also isn’t revealing any information about the event to Western journalists, hoping to keep such accusations from developing. However, American military officials have satellite footage of a flash of light occurring when the plane broke into pieces, proving that it had to have been blown up in some way, with one of the officials stating that it was 99.9% certain.
In light of these events, President Abdel Fatah el-Sisi is trying his hardest to prevent any negative publicity from circulating regarding terrorists or poor airport security. Vladimir Putin is working to dismiss the idea that the crash had anything to do with Russia’s bombing campaign in Syria. Britain, on the other hand, is using this crash as an opportunity to shed light on Russia’s indecent involvement in the Syrian conflict.
While the cause of the plane crash is still unknown, investigations are continuing every day to determine the root of the problem. In the meantime, different countries will use this crash as means to benefit themselves, or to place blame on another country.
Contributed by Alexandra Buchler
