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Russian Airbus A321 crash in Egypt

Russia completes genetic examination of A321 plane crash victims

ST.PETERSBURG, December 4. /TASS/. The genetic examination of the remains of those killed in the Russian A321 airliner crash over Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula has been completed, the press service of St. Petersburg Vice-Governor Igor Albin said on Friday.

"The genetic examination of the remains of the terrorist attack victims brought from Egypt is over," the press service said in a statement.

Russian Airbus A321 crash in Egypt

A Moscow-based forensic medical examination center has carried out the major effort on verifying the genetic material and molecular-genetic identification, it said.

The relatives of the victims will be invited by the Russian investigators to familiarize themselves with the materials of the probe and sign documents for burying the remains.

Russian Kogalymavia’s A321 plane, en route from Sharm el-Sheikh to St. Petersburg, crashed in the early morning of October 31 just 23 minutes after its takeoff. The disaster site was 100 kilometers (62 miles) south of the administrative center of North Sinai Governorate, the city of Al-Arish.

All 217 passengers and seven crewmembers were killed in the tragedy. Most passengers were Russian nationals. Among the passengers onboard were also four Ukrainian citizens and one Belarusian national.

Russia’s Federal Security Service Chief Alexander Bortnikov reported to President Vladimir Putin on November 17 that the airliner crash had been caused by a bomb with up to 1 kg in TNT equivalent planted on the plane.

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