Place of death in the ninth row
Relatives of those killed in the plane crash are now sticking together. They still have to complete a difficult journey: obtain the results of a DNA examination, then death certificates for loved ones, apply for insurance payments, and bury their relatives. Now 58 people have been officially identified. 38 names were announced - these are those who considered it necessary to make the information public.
Infographics: Alexander Voitenko
Alexander Voitenko lost his sister and niece in the tragedy. Today, this person carefully monitors all the details of the plane crash and shares it with those who are unable to monitor the news about the tragedy that claimed the lives of their loved ones.
Afterwards, Voitenko drew up a plan for the aircraft. I marked with dots those passengers who could be identified visually. Almost all of them were sitting in the back of the plane.
Before us is a plan of the crashed A321 aircraft. Passengers who have been identified are marked with blue dots.
It was possible to identify 53 of the 58 officially identified. The dots on the diagram indicate those dead whose bodies were preserved and who were visually identified.
The diagram shows: at the end of the plane there are 29 people. 11 – in the center. 6 – at the beginning. Crew – 5 people. Cockpit – 2 people.
Visually it was possible to identify mainly the bodies of those passengers who were sitting in the rear. In the center - almost everyone was burned alive. The victims who were sitting at the front of the liner will be very difficult to identify. The crew members were practically impossible to visually identify. The pilots and flight attendants were identified by their uniforms, says Alexander Voitenko. The end of the DNA examination is scheduled for November 24-25. - They both promise to give back personal belongings a little later - in about 2 weeks. Employees of the Investigative Committee carried out an examination of the luggage, took samples from “suspicious” suitcases using a mixture of water and methanol to detect the presence of hexogen. The examination confirmed the presence of explosives. From this the conclusion was drawn about a terrorist attack. The belongings of the dead passengers on which these substances were found were recognized as material evidence. It won't be so easy for relatives to get these things now.
Those who were sitting in the center were almost all burned alive. The pilots and flight attendants were identified only by their uniforms; their bodies were also not in the best condition. From all this we can draw conclusions: the number of “whole” bodies is minimal. More than half of the bodies are in a fragmented state. There are about 800 fragments in total.
Only after the completion of the DNA examination will it become clear whether everyone has been found. We really hope that everyone will be found. This is very important to people.
Relatives of the victims have already memorized the places where their loved ones sat.
The youngest, Darina Gromova, and her parents occupied row 9, seats D, E, F. On the diagram, their squares are empty, say relatives of the victims. - Darina’s grandmother did not identify her granddaughter’s body and agreed to a DNA examination. So the child has not been officially identified.
They didn’t find all the Sheins - there were many children there too. One-year-old Alisa Mozgina is not among those identified. Nothing is known about the little boy Miron, who was flying with his parents and grandmother...
Relatives of the victims who spoke with investigators asked different questions. One of them is whether the passengers were wearing seat belts at the time of the plane crash?
Investigators made it clear to us that not all passengers were wearing seat belts. Someone was torn off along with the chair, this was also explained to us,” the interlocutors add.
Airbus A321 flight 9268 of Kogalymavia Airlines (Metrojet brand) crashed and disappeared from radar on the morning of Saturday, October 31. There were 224 people on board the plane - passengers, children, 7 crew members, all of them were Russians. The airliner was operating a “tourist” flight between Sharm El-Sheikh and St. Petersburg.
The latest information about the disaster can also be read on Twitter using the hashtag #KogalymAvia And #7k9268 .
The Egyptian authorities officially confirmed the plane crash and began searching for the wreckage with the army, while the Turkish aviation authorities reported that the airliner had entered their airspace. At the same time, the media previously stated that the airliner continued its flight, but the official press of Cairo states that the plane crash did occur, and the wreckage of the airliner is in Sinai.
The most eloquent illustration is the Flightradar system, which allows you to track any civilian aircraft in the world that have special transponders. According to Flightradar it is seen that the plane "descended at approximately 6,000 feet per minute (110 km/h) before the signal was lost" 23 minutes after takeoff.
The press also reports that the airliner's crew reported malfunctions; some journalists say that the PIC and co-pilot requested an emergency landing - however, this information has not yet been confirmed.
Let us note that many pilots and aviation experts, speaking about plane crashes, recalled that an engine failure (without destroying the engine or the aircraft) does not lead to the crash of airliners - they can glide even with all engines turned off to the nearest airfield (this has also happened in the history of aviation - media they remember both the emergency landing of the Tu-204 and the “Gimli glider”).
“The plane crashed in a closed military zone. Counter-terrorism operations are being carried out there,” reports VGTRK.
A state of emergency was introduced in northern Sinai in Egypt in connection with the crash of a Russian plane; the Prime Minister of Egypt, rescuers and military personnel went to the crash site.
Reuters reports that "the screams of surviving passengers may be heard at the crash site."
“The CREW OF THE CRASHED RUSSIAN AIRLINER COMPLAINED ABOUT ENGINE PROBLEMS SEVERAL TIMES A WEEK,” news agencies report.
"Egyptian emergency services have begun removing the bodies of those killed in the crash of the Russian A-321 in the Sinai Peninsula," - reports AFP. The disaster site is cordoned off and protected from looters.
"The bodies of five children have been found; the Russian plane that crashed in Sinai has broken into two parts," AFP said.
Russian President Vladimir Putin expressed his deepest condolences to the relatives of those killed in the Kogalymavia plane crash, ordering rescuers to be sent to the scene of the tragedy.
“The total flight time of the 48-year-old commander of the plane that crashed in Egypt was 3,682 hours. Of these, Valery Nemov flew 1,100 hours as an aircraft commander,” Lifenews.ru said.
“As it became known, before flying on an A-321 type aircraft, Valery Nemov flew a TU-154. The pilot was retrained at the AmurAir training center located in Turkey,” the press adds, calling the PIC a professional pilot.
It became known that at least one of the passengers on the flight posted a photo of the plane and her husband and daughter before takeoff, writing " we're flying home ".
“According to the Egyptian side, the plane was trying to land at El-Arish airfield,” the Russian Embassy reported.
“As it became known, about a hundred bodies of passengers were pulled out from under the wreckage of a Russian airliner that crashed 100 kilometers from El-Arish in the north of the Sinai Peninsula,” reports Egypt Independet.
“Eyewitnesses say that the plane that crashed in Egypt was burning in the air,” Kommersant FM reported.
The media reported that rescuers found one of the flight recorders - black boxes - at the scene of the tragedy.
President Vladimir Putin declared mourning on November 1 in connection with the crash of a Russian airliner in Egypt.
The bodies of all 17 children were found at the A-321 crash site in Egypt. RIA Novosti reports with reference to a civil aviation representative.
As Gazeta.Ru found out, the travel company Brisco, whose clients were flying on the crashed plane, and the Kogalymavia airline are owned by the same people.
“Either a fire in the central/tail section, or an engine fire spreading throughout the entire nacelle with subsequent thermal destruction of the wing,” they write on a professional pilot forum.
The local Bedouin tribe Al Tayaha saw a Russian Kogalymavia airliner crash on the Sinai Peninsula. According to the nomads, the Airbus A321 burst into flames in the air, in particular, they saw one of the plane’s engines burning.
"Many died in seats wearing seat belts," Egyptian intelligence official/Reuters
The office of the owner of the Kogalymavia airline on Stoleshnikov Lane in Moscow is being searched. Law enforcement officers are seizing documents and electronic media from the office, media reports.
Egyptian aviation authorities do not rule out that the crash with the Russian airline Kogalymavia in Egypt was due to a terrorist attack, CBS Extra reports. “This version is unlikely, since terrorists in the region do not have appropriate weapons - anti-aircraft missile systems, because the plane was at an altitude of more than 6 thousand meters,” experts say.
“A couple of months ago, rockets were fired at Israeli territory from Sinai. In Syria and Libya, Islamists captured dozens of C125 and C200 complexes. In Yemen, firefights are taking place using Point U, and the Saudis have deployed Patriots along the entire border,” they write on social networks.
“According to Ayman al-Mugadem, a spokesman for the Egyptian Aircraft Incident Investigation Committee, the pilot warned ground controllers that the plane had a “technical problem” and needed to land as soon as possible,” Izvestia reported.
Egyptian authorities said no one survived the Russian plane crash, Reuters reported.
Before taking off from Sharm el-Sheikh, the crashed plane underwent the necessary technical checks and no faults were identified, said the head of the Egyptian airport company Adel Mahgoub. “A technical inspection of the aircraft was carried out and its airworthiness was confirmed,” he emphasized.
58 bodies have already been identified
The fourth day of the procedure for identifying victims of the plane crash has come to an end.
58 dead have been identified.
The remaining bodies are not subject to visual identification. Relatives of the victims will have to wait for the results of a genetic examination, which can last up to 4 months.
According to experts, there is a high probability that the bodies of some of the victims will never be identified.
We contacted Alexander Voitenko. In the plane crash, he lost his 37-year-old sister Irina and 14-year-old niece Alisa. He was only able to identify his niece.
My sister Irina and her daughter Alisa planned a trip to Egypt a month in advance,” Alexander began. - My niece flew on an airplane for the first time. The first and last... When the plane crash was announced on TV, I immediately rushed to Pulkovo airport. The next day my mother flew in from Pskov. We don’t have a dad; he died 5 years ago from cancer. Mom was accommodated in a hotel along with other relatives of the victims. Over these days, we have become closer to people who have lost their loved ones. I won’t say that we became friends, but we supported each other. Some were helped in any way they could.
- What for example?
I met the mother of the deceased 23-year-old Yulia Krasnova. The woman was not very good with the Internet, and asked me to find her daughter’s social network page to see photos. I had close contact with people from Ukraine who are now in bewilderment. They don’t understand how to transport the body of the deceased, because there is no air service between Ukraine and Ukraine.
- How did the identification go?
There were 5-6 families in the morgue at the same time. Psychologists worked with everyone. It took a lot of time to fill out the documents - probably two hours. The identification itself went quickly. At the morgue, experts showed bodies that could be visually identified and were not severely burned. On the first and second days, my mother and I gave a very detailed description of the appearance of our relatives, down to scars, clothing items, piercings, tattoos, and so on. Everything was drawn on a special piece of paper. They described our relatives in sufficient detail. And on Tuesday our Alice was identified. Identification was difficult: at first we were shown photographs, some small fragments of the body, from which we could identify the person. If the relatives were ready to look more, they showed the bodies.
- It turns out that there are practically no intact bodies left?
They showed those bodies that were not severely disfigured. Most of the bodies were severely mutilated; it was impossible to recognize a person from them. Many people, when shown dead people who fit their description, did not recognize their loved ones. They will now wait for DNA testing.
- How long will the DNA examination take?
We were promised to announce the results of the examination within three weeks. Let's see...
- Are you afraid of not finding your sister?
This is the worst thing that can happen.
- Have you been told that there is a possibility of not finding your loved ones at all?
They didn’t tell us about this directly, but they hinted that there was a possibility that nothing would be found. Everyone is afraid of this.
- How did you identify Alice? By what signs?
They say it's easier to find children. We identified Alice by her clothes, earring, scar on her hand, and hair. Even her face could still be identified, despite the terrible injuries. Perhaps the children suffered less. I hope so.
- Was the cause of her death announced to you?
Multiple injuries of internal organs, traumatic brain injuries. A lot of everything. To be honest, I don't remember.
- Are the belongings of the victims being given out?
We were only shown the clothes Alice wore on the flight. Other things were not given to anyone. They are probably with the investigators now.
- Did the identification take place until late at night?
We left there on Tuesday at 10 pm, there were still people there. Forensic experts and psychologists worked until midnight.
- How did the relatives withstand this procedure?
It was hard for everyone. Believe me, this is probably the most difficult day of my life. But I had to hold on, I had no other choice.
- When will Alice be buried?
On Wednesday her body was sent to Pskov. The funeral is planned for Saturday.
As far as I know, the relatives of the victims were offered to create a common memorial and bury all those killed in the plane crash in one place?
We've been asked about this. But almost all the relatives of the victims opposed it.
- Did they give you money for the funeral?
We received 100 thousand rubles from the insurance company for the funeral. This money goes towards 2 million. To receive basic compensation, you need to collect a bunch of documents. This may take a couple of months. Experts say this is the normal order of things. But people who are in a state of shock cannot waste time and effort collecting a package of documents. After all, we were promised some kind of compensation from the city. But so far I don’t understand what is needed for this.
- Relatives asked for a seating plan for passengers on the plane. For what?
We asked for seating arrangements from the very beginning. It seemed to us that in one or another part of the cabin people had a chance to survive... We were wrong...
