As suspicions of a bomb behind plane crash grow, chaos at an Egyptian airport

Updated: 2015-11-08 15:22

(Agencies)

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GOODBYE BAGGAGE

As the terminal filled up with hundreds of tourists hoping to leave after a tense week, a group of easyJet officials tried to convince a customer to leave his bag behind while he argued he needed its contents with him on the plane.

A pile of bags lay abandoned in a corner.

"They said that we shouldn't take any baggage with us on board, so we have to keep it somewhere, I don't know where, put our addresses and then they will somehow transport it to Russia," said Julia Suvrova, 33.

"How, who will do it, I don't know. I will say goodbye to my baggage," she said.

McFadzean blamed both the Egyptian and British government for the disorder and said Prime Minister David Cameron had not "thought about the consequences" of suspending flights.

NO COMMUNICATION

Many British tourists interviewed said their government was not doing enough to communicate vital information to them.

Several that were standing at a queue yelled "no communication" in unison when a Reuters reporter asked one about her concerns.

"We found out from our Thomas Cook representative that our flight was cancelled. We were meant to fly out on Thursday," said young holidaymaker Sheila Smith.

Her family was told to come to the airport on Friday but then that flight was also cancelled.

"She's meant to be at school," her mother said.

A British official said the government was coordinating with operators to provide more information and that officials were now visiting hotels to communicate with nationals.

Many tourists said they did not feel unsafe because security had been obviously strengthened since the crash.

If it turned out the Islamic State group, which has militant allies in the Sinai, had in fact brought the plane down as it claimed, they would reconsider coming back.

Outside the airport two policemen rode a single beach buggy, patrolling the perimeter.

A large sign behind them greeted visitors to Sharm al-Sheikh with the words: "Welcome to the city of peace."

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