Russian plane crash saddens Georgia

Tbilisi is saddened by the crash of a Russian passenger airliner in Egypt that claimed the lives of 224 people yesterday.

Georgian President Giorgi Margvelashvili and Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili offered their condolences to the families of the victims in their written statements.

The President said: "On behalf of the Georgian people, I express condolences and offer sympathy to the families of the victims in this difficult time.”

The PM said: "I express my sincere condolences to the Russian people and offer sympathy to the families and friends of the victims.”

A Russian passenger plane crashed early on Saturday in Egypt's Sinai Peninsula, killing all 224 people aboard, BBC reported.

The cause of the crash was still unknown but it was most likely due to a technical failure, and there was no evidence of any terrorist action, officials said, adding the Airbus A321 had a routine check before flight that showed everything was OK to proceed.

Russian state media reported many of the passengers were Russians returning from vacation.