Russian airliner crashes in central Egypt (Second Lead, changing dateline)

A Russian airliner on Saturday crashed in central Sinai with more than 200 people on board, the office of Egypt's prime minister has confirmed.

The Airbus A-321 had just taken off from the Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh, on its way to the Russian city of St Petersburg, BBC quoted the office as saying.

There were conflicting reports about the fate of the plane, some suggesting it had disappeared over Cyprus.

Most of the passengers are said to be Russian tourists.

The plane is operated by the Russian airline Kogalymavia based in West Siberia. Latest reports say it is carrying 217 passengers and seven crew.

The Russian aviation authority Rosaviatsiya said in a statement that flight 9268 left Sharm el-Sheikh at 6.51 a.m. (local time) and was due into St. Petersburg's Pulkovo airport at 12.10 p.m.

The authority added that the aircraft failed to make scheduled contact with Cyprus air traffic control 23 minutes after take-off and disappeared from the radar.