As rescue teams in the United States continued their search for survivors and wreckage of EgyptAir flight 990 yesterday, Egyptians struggled to come to terms with their national airline's worst disaster.
In a society where families are close, the individual tragedies of lost mothers, fathers and siblings have touched a deep chord.
"We're all in a state of shock," said one young man after seeing distraught relatives being led into the US embassy to get the visas needed for their grim trip to the US to wait for the bodies of their loved ones to be retrieved from the Atlantic.
Officials offered condolences and practical support to the victims' families. In an official statement President Mubarak ex press ed his "deep sorrow" about the crash, while the Prime Minister, Mr Atef Obeid, announced that the government would pay for repatriation of the victims' remains bodies and would provide compensation to relatives.
There were 62 Egyptian passengers and 18 crew members on the plane. Relatives also gathered at Cairo Airport yesterday and were given special assistance to obtain passports and visas.
Government officials were quick to dismiss the possibility of a terrorist incident having caused the crash. "We totally rule out any possibility of the accident being the result of a terrorist act or an abortive hijack attempt," the Egyptian Minister of Transport, Mr Ibrahim el-Demeri, said.
But the hijacking less than a month ago of an EgyptAir flight from Istanbul to Cairo is fresh in many people's minds. Although the incident ended without violence in Hamburg, it raised concerns about airline security.
EgyptAir was also criticised for not reinforcing a weak cockpit door, which was kicked open by the hijacker.
Possibilities of a mechanical failure were also raised when the brother of the flight 990 pilot, Mr Ahmed el-Habashy, said that prior to the flight his brother had called relatives in Cairo to tell them that he would be late due to windy conditions and the need for some repairs to the plane.
EgyptAir officials in Cairo however denied any knowledge of a mechanical problem prior to take-off.