Russian plane carrying 224 crashes over Egypt

UPDATE 8:44 a.m.: Russia's embassy in Egypt said none of the 217 passengers and seven crew members survived the crash, The Washington Post reports. Our original story is below.

A Russian airplane carrying 224 passengers crashed in Egypt's Sinai Peninsula early Saturday, officials said.

The pilot of the plane, which was headed from the Egyptian resort area Sharm el-Sheikh to St. Petersburg, Russia, had reportedly requested an emergency landing before losing contact about 23 minutes after takeoff, CNN reports.

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It is not known whether there are any survivors from Kogalymavia Flight 9268, The New York Times reports. More than 40 ambulances were reportedly dispatched to the area.

There are no signs so far that the Airbus A-321 was shot down, Russian news outlets reported.