Relatives of Sinai plane crash victims sue for $1.6bn compensation
Families of the 224 victims of the Russian airliner downed in Egypt in October 2015 are suing the airline, insurance companies, and tour operator.
"The claim was filed today [Thursday]. The insurance companies Ingosstrakh and Allianz, tourist company Brisco, Russian airline Kogalymavia (using the Metrojet brand) and the company Aircup,” a court in Moscow confirmed.
According to lawyer Anatoly Kucherena, who is representing the plaintiffs, the €1.383 billion ($1.6 billion) compensation was calculated from losses, emotional damage, loss of the earner, and insurance compensation.
The claim is almost a million pages long, and the documents were delivered to the court in two large suitcases, each weighing nearly 50 kg.
Kucherena said on Wednesday the 149 plaintiffs have not yet received any compensation.
In October 2015, a Metrojet flight returning from Egypt to St. Petersburg was blown up by a bomb allegedly planted by a terrorist supporting Islamic State. The debris from the plane was scattered over 20 square kilometers in Egypt's Sinai Peninsula. The attack killed 224 Russian tourists and the airplane crew.
Following the incident, Russia halted all flights to Egypt and has not resumed them. In September, Interfax news agency reported, quoting its sources, that the first direct regular flights from Cairo and Moscow will begin later this year. This will be followed by the resumption of charter flights to the Egyptian resorts of Hurghada and Sharm El-Sheikh in the winter.
