The Russian plane which crashed in Egypt's Sinai Peninsula killing 224 people "broke up in the air," an aviation official has revealed.
Speaking to RT, director of Russia's Interstate Aviation Commission Viktor Sorochenko said "It’s too early to make any conclusions. The destruction [of the plane] happened in the air and the fragments scattered over a large area (around 20 square kilometers)".
The plane, which was travelling from Sharm el-Sheikh to the Russian city of St Petersburg, disappeared from radar on Saturday some 23 minutes into the flight. It was flying at about 31,000ft when contact was lost.
A team of investigators has begun examining the contents of two black box recorders recovered from the aircraft, although Egypt's president Abdul Fattah al-Sisi has warned the investigation could take months.
Russian and Egyptian officials have so far played down reports of terrorism after Islamic State-linked militants, the Wilayat Sinai (Sinai Province) group, claimed responsibility for downing the jet.
Unverified video footage of what appears to be a plane falling out of the sky has purportedly been released by Islamic State, however it has been widely discounted.
Egypt's ambassador to the UK, Nasser Kamel, told Sky's Murnaghan programme early indications suggest the crash had "nothing to do with a terrorist attack".
The co-pilot of the Russian passenger jet which crashed in Egypt's Sinai peninsula had complained about the plane's state before the flight, his wife has claimed.
Sergei Truckahev reportedly called his daughter to say "the technical condition of the aircraft left much to be desired" – shortly before the Airbus A321 crashed into a mountainous area, killing the 217 passengers and seven crew on board.
Two major European airlines – Lufthansa and Air France – have now halted flights over the Sinai peninsula, an area which has seen clashes between Egyptian forces and Islamic militants for years.
The Middle East's biggest carrier, Emirates, has also suspended flights. British Airways has said it will continue flying over Sinai.
Vladimir Putin has declared Sunday as a national day of mourning, and the Kremlin has sent an emergency response team to the site of the crash.
Another plane has also flown to the region to begin the process of repatriating the victims. All but four of them were Russian nationals, and the rest were Ukrainians.
Data shows it plunged 6,000ft per minute before it lost contact.
In a statement, Airbus said the plane was produced in 1997 and had accumulated some 56,000 flight hours in nearly 21,000 flights.
It said the aircraft was in good shape prior to the flight and had an experienced captain with 12,000 hours of flying experience at the helm.
However, according to Egyptian media, the pilot reported a technical failure shortly after take-off and had requested to land at a nearby airport.
Rescuers have found both black boxes, which could give vital clues about what happened.
Britain's foreign secretary, Philip Hammond, has expressed sympathy to his Russian counterpart, Sergei Lavrov, in a telephone call.
"The British people who know and love Sharm el-Sheikh will be especially sad that what should have been a happy holiday trip has ended in such tragedy for so many families," he added.
