A Russian airplane with 217 tourists on board crashed Saturday in central Sinai, Egyptian Prime Minister Sherif Ismail said in statement.

The Airbus A-321 plane had taken off from Sharm El-Sheikh on its way to the Russian city of St Petersburg before disappearing from the radars of Egyptian aviation officials.

Ismail has formed a cabinet-level crisis committee to address the accident.

The plane is operated by Russian airline Kogalymavia.

More updates to follow