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The Latest: Emirates halts flights over Egypt's Sinai pending probe of Russian plane crash

Associated Press
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CORRECTS DAY OF WEEK TO SATURDAY, NOT FRIDAY - In this photo released by the Prime Minister's office, Sherif Ismail, third right, and military and government officials visit the site where a passenger plane crashed in Hassana, Egypt on Saturday, Oct. 31, 2015. The Russian aircraft carrying 224 people crashed Saturday in a remote mountainous region in the Sinai Peninsula about 20 minutes after taking off from a Red Sea resort popular with Russian tourists, the Egyptian government said. There were no survivors. (Suliman el-Oteify/Egyptian Prime Minister's Office via AP) (The Associated Press)

CORRECTS DAY OF WEEK TO SATURDAY, NOT FRIDAY - In this photo released by the Prime Minister's office, an item, of clothing lies at the site where a passenger plane crashed in Hassana, Egypt on Saturday, Oct. 31, 2015. A Russian aircraft carrying 224 people crashed Saturday in a remote mountainous region in the Sinai Peninsula about 20 minutes after taking off from a Red Sea resort popular with Russian tourists, the Egyptian government said. There were no survivors. (Suliman el-Oteify/Egyptian Prime Minister's Office via AP) (The Associated Press)

People lay flowers and toys at an entrance of Pulkovo airport outside St.Petersburg, Russia, during a day of national mourning for the plane crash victims, on Sunday, Nov. 1, 2015. The Russian Metrojet airliner crashed Saturday in a remote mountainous part of Egypt's Sinai Peninsula 23 minutes after taking off from a popular Red Sea resort, killing all 224 people on board, including 25 children. (AP Photo/Dmitry Lovetsky) (The Associated Press)

The latest developments after a Russian passenger plane crashed in a remote part of Egypt's Sinai Peninsula after taking off from a popular Red Sea resort, killing all 224 people on board (all times local).

9:25 a.m.

Dubai-based Emirates, the Middle East's biggest carrier, says it has stopped flying over Egypt's Sinai until more is known about the crash of a Russian airliner in the rugged peninsula.

The airline made the announcement Sunday, the day after the crash of the Russian plane, which had taken off 23 minutes earlier from the popular Red Sea resort town of Sharm el-Sheikh. All 224 people on board died.

The cause of the crash was not yet known. A local affiliate of the extremist Islamic State group claimed it "brought down" the aircraft, but Russia's transport minister dismissed the claim.

Two major European airlines, Germany's Lufthansa and Air France, said Saturday that they would immediately stop flying over Sinai for safety reasons until the cause of the crash was determined.