Over two hundred people were feared dead after a Russian passenger plane carrying two hundred adults, seventeen children and seven crew members crashed at 5.51am- just 23 minutes after its departure this morning.
Irish-owned plane Air Kolavia flight 7k9268 was heading to St Petersburg, when the pilot announced a technical problem before going off-radar and crashing into Sinai.
The plane was at an altitude of 31,000 feet when it vanished, before reportedly plunging at more than 6,000 feet per minute as the pilot tried to land at an el-Arish airport in Northern Egypt.
A security official who arrived at the scene said the aircraft was completely destroyed and all those on-board were likely to be dead.
However new hope has been raised, after rescuers working in the rubble claim to have heard signs of life.
So far the bodies of 100 victims have been recovered, and Egyptian authorities have confirmed that ‘casualties' were being evacuated to local hospitals.
Russian president Vladimir Putin has ordered his team of experts to the crash site to determine the cause of the disaster.
Egypt's top prosecutor has also ordered an investigation into the cause of the disaster.
Our thoughts are with the families of those involved in this horrific incident.