The Egyptian Presidency condoled with Russia on the victims of the doomed Russian passenger plane that crashed early Saturday in central Sinai.

In a statement on Saturday, the presidency said President Abdel Fattah El Sisi, who returned home earlier in the day after a tour that took him to India, the UAE and Bahrain, is closely following up the plane crash developments.

Sisi had contacts with top officials, including Premier Sherif Ismail, who headed along with a number of ministers to the crash scene, to follow up the situation on the ground.

Sisi ordered the Civil Aviation Ministry's fact-finding commission to swiftly finalize investigations into the Russian plane crash and coordinate efforts with the Russian authorities concerned, the statement said.

The presidency is following up the situation with all action groups managing the crisis, the statement said.

The plane, carrying 217 people a long with seven crew members, disappeared from radars only 23 minutes after taking off from Sharm el Sheikh on its way to the Russian city of St. Petersburg.

Source: MENA