Best friends knew Russians in fatal flight

Two women stranded in Sharm el-Sheikh have revealed they knew four of the people on board the fatal Russian flight which crashed last week.
Friends Katrina Amin, (left) and Caroline Tyler, (right), from Keady, who have been stranded in Sharm el-Sheikh after all flights out of the holiday resort were cancelled following a Russian plane crashFriends Katrina Amin, (left) and Caroline Tyler, (right), from Keady, who have been stranded in Sharm el-Sheikh after all flights out of the holiday resort were cancelled following a Russian plane crash
Friends Katrina Amin, (left) and Caroline Tyler, (right), from Keady, who have been stranded in Sharm el-Sheikh after all flights out of the holiday resort were cancelled following a Russian plane crash

Best friends Caroline Tyler, aged 42, and Katrina Amin, 44, were due to return from their holiday in the Egyptian resort last week – but found themselves stranded along with thousands of others

They were finally due to arrive home in Doncaster last night.

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Caroline said: “Four of the people who were on the Russian flight stayed in the same hotel as us.

“We didn’t know them well, but we used to see them at the entertainment in the evenings. It’s such an awful thing to happen and nobody wants that to happen to them, so it’s better to be safe here. We completely understand and agree with the decision that has been made to stop flights, if there is any risk at all then that risk should be cut. We will wait to come home.”

The Russian Metrojet Airbus A321 aircraft was flying from Sharm el-Sheikh to St Petersburg on October 31 when it crashed in the Sinai desert, killing all 224 people on board. UK flights were halted on Wednesday amid fears that the crash was caused by a bomb.

The pair, who have been holidaying together for 16 years, were due to return from their extended holiday in the sun to their home in Keadby yesterday evening.

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The flight was due to leave the Red Sea at 6pm local time and land in Manchester Airport at 10.10pm UK time.

Caroline, who met Katrina 18 years ago while they were both working at Grampian Country Transport Freight company in Thorne, said: “We are very happy to finally be returning to the UK.

She said she was disappointed with the service Thomson had provided and added: “Communication has been really bad. It’s been mostly us texting them and then they have come back in a couple of hours.

“They haven’t said anything about reimbursing us financially, but I hope they do as I hear other companies are so if they can I don’t see why Thomson can’t.

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“They told us at the airport if we waited they would find accommodation for us, but we knew people from our hotel, the Jolie Ville Royal Peninsula Hotel and Resort, who had been to stay in accommodation they provided and came back because it was disgusting.

“We are lucky that we can afford to pay for the extra nights, some people don’t have that choice.”

No comment was available from Thomson.

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