40-year-old Richard Osman was born in Carmarthen in Wales, but is thought to have moved to Jersey to work for a mining company, Centamin, based on Mulcaster Street.

A major search operation is underway near Karpathos Island, close to Crete, and there are conflicting reports so far as to whether any wreckage from the missing Aribus A320 has been found. 

Fifty-six passengers, 7 crew and 3 security officials are believed to have been on board when the plane disappeared from radar screens early yesterday morning en route from Charles de Gaulle Airport in Paris to Cairo.

Greek officials have said that the plane made several sharp turns before it disappeared, very soon after entering Egyptian air space,  but no distress signal was received from the crew. 

Egypt’s Civil aviation minister Sherif Fathi said the disaster was still being investigated, but the possibility it was a terror attack “is higher than the possibility of having a technical failure.”

Alexander Bortnikov, chief of Russia’s top domestic security agency, said: “In all likelihood it was a terror attack.”

Richard Osman, a father of two, was described by his younger brother Alastair as a workaholic who, “…never deviated from the straight path.”

Asked about why Mr Osman was on the flight, he said: “He would have been going to work I assume. I know he works in both Egypt and another country in Africa. 

“I guess it was work related. He’s been doing this for years in the gold mining industry. This was a regular trip. He used to do it at least once a month, year after year.”

Alastair Osman, who said the family of four were all born in Carmarthen, added: ” This is the reality of Isis and groups like that. It’s indiscriminate. They don’t think any of these people have family members, or a past, or a history of hopes and dreams. It’s indiscriminate.” 

According to the Carmarthen Journal, Mr Osman is 40 and a former pupil at QE Cambria with family in the Swansea area. 

The newspaper said he was the son of the late Fekri Osman, a founder of the Werndale private hospital in Bancyfelin. 

His father moved to Wales from his native Egypt to work as a consultant in ear, nose and throat surgery in Singleton Hospital, Swansea, it said. 

The Journal added that Mr Osman was a qualified geologist and worked for exploration and research companies which involved him travelling widely around the world.

Centamin’s website describes Mr Osman as…”…a geologist and holds a Master’s degree in Mining Geology from the Camborne School of Mines. He has over 16 years’ experience in the mining industry, having worked in exploration, open pit mining and the evaluation of mineral properties internationally. Richard previously worked at the Company’s Sukari mine in Egypt for over twelve years in exploration, resource development and as open pit mine manager. Prior to this Richard was employed for five years at the Big Bell operation in Western Australia owned by Harmony Gold.”

Picture Credit: Centamin