03/11/2015 (Agence Europe) - EU offers condolences to Russia after plane crash in Sinai. The European Union sent its sympathies to the Russian people and authorities on Saturday 31 October following the aeroplane crash in the Sinai peninsula of Egypt that claimed the lives of the 224 people on board, almost all Russians. European Council President Donald Tusk said that he was “very saddened” at the news of the crash. Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker, too, said he was “saddened”. “In this difficult hour, we stand with the Russian people and with the families of the victims”, he said, adding that “the relevant European authorities are ready to provide any necessary assistance in the investigations following this tragedy”. Council of Europe Secretary General Thorbjorn Jagland said he was “devastated” on hearing of the crash and, on behalf of his organisation and its member states, expressed his “deepest sorrow and sympathy”. The self-styled Islamic State has claimed responsibility for destroying the aircraft but, at the moment, there is no information to substantiate this. (CG)