Almost 100 relatives of those who died in the Russian A321 airliner crash over Egypt's Sinai peninsula last October have filed a class action suit against the U.S. company that owned the plane and leased it to the Kogalymavia carrier company, the pro-Kremlin Izvestia newspaper reported Monday, citing Igor Trunov, a lawyer representing the relatives. The lawsuit was filed in a New York court.
According to the lawyers, the relatives of each victim are entitled to compensation of up to $1.5 million from the International Lease Finance Corporation (ILFC) which owned the plane. “We will also bring the company that insured the risks [of ILFC to justice],” Trunov was cited by Izvestia as saying.
The Russian Airbus A321 was downed over Egypt while en route to St. Petersburg — all 224 people on board were killed. Speculation on the cause of the crash began soon after the catastrophe, with international media, politicians and law enforcement agency representatives declaring the plane downing a terrorist act.
Two weeks after the crash, Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB) confirmed the plane was blown up by terrorists. In early December more than 30 crash relatives filed a formal complaint with Moscow's Basmanny Court, accusing Investigative Committee head Alexander Bastrykin of failing to act.
