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(No distress signal was detected)

Egyptian Charter Jet Crashes Into Red Sea
10 minutes ago

By MOHAMED KHALIFA, Associated Press Writer

CAIRO, Egypt - A charter airliner with 141 people aboard — mostly French tourists — crashed into the Red Sea shortly after takeoff on Saturday from the resort of Sharm el-Sheikh, officials said. No survivors were reported.

The Boeing 737 jet took off shortly before 5 a.m. (10 p.m. EST Friday) and quickly disappeared from radar about seven miles south of the airport, said airport officials using customary anonymity.

No distress signal was detected, according to officials at Egypt's Ministry of Civil Aviation.

The crash occurred amid a week of heightened concerns about terrorist threats from the air that have led to increased security and canceled flights around the world.

But an initial statement from aviation ministry ruled out terrorism, calling the crash an "accident" that may have been caused by a mechanical problem. The ministry said no one was believed to have survived.

Officials said 135 passengers and six crew members were aboard the jet operated by the private Egyptian company Air Flash en route to Cairo — 129 of them French and six Egyptians.

Rescue teams rushed to the scene and found the wreckage of the jet close to the coast. They were attempting to find survivors or bodies, according to an official quoted by the Egyptian news agency MENA.

Engineers from the national carrier Egyptair rushed in to try to help determine what happened. Officials at Air Flash could not immediately be reached for comment.

The weather was clear in Sharm el-Sheikh and other flights were taking off without incident, officials said.

Sharm el-Sheik is a popular Red Sea tourist resort that also frequently hosts major political and economic summits. Egypt has held several meetings on Middle East peace there, including one in which President Bush (news - web sites) met with regional leaders in June over the "road map" plan toward creating a Palestinian state.

Local news media reported Saturday that vacationing British Prime Minister Tony Blair (news - web sites) was to meet there later in the day with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak (news - web sites).

Officials said 135 passengers and six crew members were aboard the jet operated by the private Egyptian company Air Flash en route to Cairo — 129 of them French and six Egyptians

Local news media reported Saturday that vacationing British Prime Minister Tony Blair was to meet there later in the day with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak.