Pope Tawadros II expressed on Sunday his heartfelt condolences to Russia over the victims of the Russian plane that crashed in central Sinai on Saturday.

"In the name of myself and the Coptic Church, I express my deepest condolences to the Russian people and government over the victims of the crash," the pontiff said in a released statement.

Some 217 passengers and seven crew members were killed in the crash.

The Saint Petersburg-bound Airbus A321 lost contact with radar at 6.20am CLT (Cairo local time), less than half an hour after takeoff. It was flying at an altitude of 30,000 feet.

The black boxes of the plane were recovered and will be later examined by Egyptian and foreign experts to know the reason of the crash.

Source: MENA