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Mourning and memorial events in St.Petersburg to last several days - authorities

"This is due to the fact that it’s necessary to organize social support measures, funeral ceremonies, all mourning events involving the facilities of the victims," the statement said

ST.PETERSBURG, November 1. /TASS/. The mourning and memorial events to pay homage to those who have died in the plane crash in Egypt will go on for several days, the press service of St.Petersburg Vice-Governor Igor Albin said on Sunday.

"The Russian President declared November 1 a day of mourning. We share the anguish. What happened to the families of citizens of our country, St.Petersburg is a great irreparable loss. The mourning events in St.Petersburg, for apparent reasons, will last several days. This is due to the fact that it’s necessary to organize social support measures, funeral ceremonies, all mourning events involving the facilities of the victims," the statement said.

St.Petersburg Governor Georgy Poltavchenko earlier said that extra days of mourning would be declared in the city during funeral ceremonies of Kogalymavia airliner passengers.

According to the latest reports, people from 13 Russian regions, including 147 residents of St.Petersburg, as well as Ukrainian and Belarusian citizens have died in the plane crash in Egypt.

The first aircraft of the Russian Emergencies Ministry carrying passengers’ bodies may arrive in St.Petersburg in the evening on November 1.

On Saturday morning, Kogalymavia airline’s Flight 9268 carrying Russian tourists home on board an Airbus A321 aircraft crashed 30 minutes after taking off. The plane wreckage was spotted in the north of the Sinai Peninsula, some 100 kilometers south of the city of El-Arish.

There were 217 passengers and seven crew members on board, most of them were Russian nationals. According to Egypt’s officials, no one survived.

November 1 is declared a day of mourning in Russia.