THOUSANDS of tourists are stranded in Egypt after mounting evidence a Russian airliner was downed by a bomb led to all flights between the UK and Sharm el-Sheikh being suspended.
Emergency screening is being put in place at the popular resort’s airport to allow British nationals to be flown home after an inspection by UK experts resulted in all flights in and out of the popular Red Sea resort being halted.
The team was sent in by the Government after fresh intelligence suggested there was a “significant possibility” that a bomb had been placed on a Russian aircraft that crashed 20 minutes after taking off, killing all 224 on board.
A meeting of the emergency Cobra committee, chaired by the Prime Minister, decided to issue a warning against “all but essential” travel through the airport – effectively barring flights to and from the UK.
The move – angrily denounced by Egypt’s foreign minister as a “premature and unwarranted” step that would smash its tourist industry – was announced as the country’s president Abdel Fatah al-Sisi arrived in the UK for a scheduled visit.
He is due to hold talks with Mr Cameron at 10 Downing Street later today.
Are you from Cumbria and on holiday in Egypt? Or are you due to travel out there?
