The ministry said earlier Saturday it had lost contact with a Russian aircraft carrying 217 passengers and 7 crew members.
A statement carried by Egypt's state-run MENA news agency says the plane took off from Sinai's Sharm el-Sheikh, a popular destination for Russian tourists, at 5:51 a.m. Saturday and disappeared from radar screens 23 minutes after takeoff.
It said the aircraft was bound for St. Petersburg in Russia. A search and rescue team is looking for the plane.
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