Egypt Says ‘Technical Failure’ Caused Plane Crash

"There was no explosion aboard the plane before it crashed into the sea," ministry engineer Faisal al-Shennawi told Agence France-Presse (AFP).

"The first results of the investigation indicate the crash was caused by a technical failure," he added. "The Ministry will soon publish a statement giving all the details obtained until now," Shennawi said.

The Egyptian charter plane, bound for Paris, has crashed into the Red Sea shortly after taking off from the Egyptian resort of Sharm El-Sheikh at 5:00 (3:00 GMT), killing its 148 passengers and crew members.

The Boeing 737, operated by the Egyptian private company Air Flash, disappeared from radar screen minutes after takeoff.

It was carrying 135 passengers, including 129 French tourists and six Egyptians as well as 13 crew members.

Al-Jazzeera satellite channel said the plane was planned to stop over in Cairo to refuel and then fly to Charles De Gaulle airport in Paris.

The plane’s wreckage is said to have been spotted in the sea.

French President Jacques Chirac has phoned his Egyptian counterpart Hosni Mubarak "to get a total picture on the circumstances of the tragedy," Chirac’s office said.

Chirac is also sending his junior foreign minister, Renaud Muselier, to Egypt and has been in close contact with Prime Minister Jean-Pierre Raffarin to ensure that everything was being done at the scene in coordination with the Egyptian authorities.

A U.K. Government spokesman told the BBC that the Prime Minister Tony Blair was safe and well.

He has been on a family holiday in the Sharm El-Sheikh since before Christmas.

Egypt’s last major airline disaster occurred in 1999, when an EgyptAir jetliner crashed shortly after leaving New York en route to Cairo, killing all 217 people aboard.