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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Sunday, January 04, 2004

148 people killed in Egyptian charter plane crash

An Egyptian charter plane Boeing 737 crashed into the Red Sea early on January 3 shortly after taking off from the resort of Sharm el-Sheikh, killing all the 135 passengers and 13 crew members aboard, airport officials said.


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An Egyptian charter plane Boeing 737 crashed into the Red Sea early on January 3shortly after taking off from the resort of Sharm el-Sheikh, killing all the 135 passengers and 13 crew members aboard, airport officials said.

The plane was bound for Paris via Cairo as a stopover. The aircraft had planned to refuel and change crew in Cairo before heading for Charles de Gaulle airport in Paris, reports quoted French airport authorities as saying.

The plane arrived in Sharm el-Sheikh from Italy early January 3, and took off again after new passengers boarded the flight.

So far, the cause of the crash was not clear, but Egypt's civil aviation ministry ruled out the possibility of terrorist attack.

According to reports, the weather condition in Sharm el-Sheikh was favorable and other planes had no difficulty of taking off.

The Boeing 737 was owned by Air Flash, a six-year-old private establishment with only two planes.

Located some 500 km southeast of Cairo on the Sinai peninsula, Sharm el-Sheik is a famous seaside resort frequented by tourists. It is often picked as conference venue as well.

Backgrounder: Major air crashes since 2001
An Egyptian plane crashed into the Red Sea early on Saturday shortly after its take-off from the seaside resort of Sharm el-Sheikh, killing all the 141 people aboard.

The victims include 129 French tourists, six Egyptians and six crew members.

The Cairo-bound Boeing 737, belonging to private Egyptian company Flash Air, disappeared from the radar screens at 8:44 a.m.(0244 GMT), minutes after take-off from the Sharm el-Sheikh airport, and the wreckage of the plane was found in the sea about 15 km south of Sharm el-Sheikh.

Following is a chronology of major airline crashes since 2001.

July 3, 2001 -- A Russian Tupolev-154 plane crashed near the Siberian city of Irkutsk, killing 136 passengers and nine crew members on board.

Oct. 4, 2001 -- A Russian Tupolev-154 jet flying from Israel plunged into the Black Sea, killing all 78 on board, after it was hit by a stray Ukrainian missile during live-fire exercises in the Crimean peninsula.

Oct. 8, 2001 -- At least 114 people were killed when a Scandinavian Airlines System (SAS) airliner and a small plane collided in heavy fog at Milan's Linate airport.

Nov. 12, 2001 -- An American Airlines Airbus A300 bound for Santo Domingo in the Dominican Republic, crashed into New York's Queen's district minutes after take off, killing at least 265 people.

Jan. 28, 2002 -- A Boeing 727 belonging to Ecuadorian carrier TAME with 92 passengers and crew on board crashed into Colombia's Cumbal volcano, killing all on board.

Feb. 12, 2002 -- An Iran Air Tours TU-154 passenger plane flying from Tehran to Khorramabad crashed near the western city, killing all 119 people on board.

April 15, 2002 -- An Air China Boeing 767 passenger aircraft traveling from Beijing to Pusan in South Korea crashed into a mountain. Of the 166 on board 38 survived. It was Air China's first crash in nearly 50 years.

May 4, 2002 -- A Nigerian EAS Airlines' BAC 1-11-500 with 105 people on board crashed in the northern Nigerian city of Kano, killing at least 148 people.

May 7, 2002 -- A China Northern MD-82 jet fell into the sea off Dalian in northeast China, killing all 112 passengers and crew on board.

July 1, 2002 -- A Bashkirian Airlines Tupolev 154 passenger plane carrying Russian children to a holiday in Spain collided with a German cargo Boeing 757 near Lake Constance in southwestern Germany, killing 71 people, including 52 children.

Feb. 19, 2003 -- An Iranian military plane crashed near Kerman in southeastern Iran. Iran said all 276 soldiers and aircrew aboard were killed.

March 6, 2003 -- An Algerian flag carrier Boeing 737-200 crashed shortly after take-off from Tamanrasset airport, killing at least 102 passengers and crew.

May 26, 2003 -- An Ukrainian YK-42 passenger plane heading to Spain crashed near the Trabzon Airport in northeastern Turkey, killing 74, including 62 Spanish soldiers returning from their peacekeeping mission in Afghanistan.

July 8, 2003 -- A Sudanese Boeing 737 crashed shortly after taking off from Port Sudan airport, killing 105 passengers and 11 crew members. The head of the Sudan's defense forces and at least seven foreigners were among the dead.

Dec. 25, 2003 -- A Boeing 727 owned by Union des Transports Africains (UTA) crashed en route Beirut over the coastal capital of Cotonou, Benin, with 151 passengers and 10 crew members on board. By the end of Dec. 31, the death toll has risen to 139.

Jan. 3, 2004 -- An Egyptian charter plane Boeing 737 crashed into the Red Sea early on Saturday shortly after taking off from the resort of Sharm el-Sheikh, killing all the 135 passengers and six crew members aboard.

Source: Xinhua


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