SKY/REUTERS Investigators have released their preliminary findings into the crash

FREE now and never miss the top politics stories again. SUBSCRIBE Invalid email Sign up fornow and never miss the top politics stories again. We will use your email address only for sending you newsletters. Please see our Privacy Notice for details of your data protection rights.

Air accident investigators who listened to the cockpit voice recorder of Metrojet flight 9268 revealed that a noise had been heard "in the last second" of the recording before the doomed passenger plane plunged to the ground. Investigation of the plane's data recorders - known as black boxes - also revealed how it was still climbing when disaster struck, suggesting that the pilots felt everything was as it should be.

The evidence will add to growing fears that a jihadi group allied to Islamic State (ISIS) brought down the jet with a bomb in the cargo hold in retaliation for Vladimir Putin's campaign of airstrikes in Syria. A top Egyptian official told a rowdy press conference in Cairo today that preliminary investigations show the plane did break up in mid air, with the debris scattered over an area more than 13km in length. He said that not all of the debris had yet been found, adding that the Egyptian army will continue to scour the region over the coming days for wreckage

SKY NEWS The black box recorders did register a 'noise' just before the crash

Investigators said that examination of the recorders and the wreckage does not definitively reveal "the origin of the in-flight break up" and also took a swipe at Britain and America for failing to share intelligence linking ISIS to the attack. The head of the investigation team, Ayman al-Muqaddam, said: "Debris is scattered over a wide area more than 13km in length which is consistent with an in-flight break up. Some parts of the wreckage are missing and it is hoped to locate them in the coming days. "The initial observation of the aircraft wreckage does not allow for the origin of the in-flight break up. The flight recorders were recovered on the first day of the accident and they were successfully downloaded. "Duration from take off to end of recordings is 23 minutes and 14 seconds. The last recorded altitude is 30,888ft whilst the aircraft is still in climbing mode. "The last recorded air speed is 281 knots and autopilot one was engaged until the end of recordings."

EPA The wreckage was scattered over a 13km area

AP Up to 20,000 British tourists are stranded in Sharm el-Sheikh

A noise was heard in the last second of the CVR recording Egyptian aviation official

He added: "The CVR (cockpit voice recorder) was successfully downloaded and the first listening was done. Although the CVR team is still in the phase of writing the transcript which will take time to finalise, a noise was heard in the last second of the CVR recording. "A spectral analysis will be carried out by specialised labs in order to identify the nature of this noise." Mr al-Muqaddam also criticised media reports in Britain and France quoting unnamed security sources which have indicated that spooks strongly believe ISIS smuggled a bomb on board the plane at Sharm el-Sheikh airport. Britain has suspended all flights in and out of the resort after shocking claims about lax security emerged, leaving around 20,000 holidaymakers stranded. Russia, which has criticised speculation about the cause of the crash, followed suit yesterday after fresh intelligence came to light. The move has infuriated Egypt, which relies heavily on its tourism industry to prop up an ailing economy. Red Sea resorts including Sharm el-Sheikh are hugely popular with British and Russian holidaymakers.

Mr al-Muqaddam said: "The committee noted media reports and analysis some of which claim to be based on official intelligence which favours a certain scenario for the cause of the accident. The committee was not provided with any information or evidence in this regard. "The committee urges the sources of such reports to provide it with all information that could help us to undertake our mission. "The committee is considering with the great attention all possible scenarios for the cause of the accident and did not reach until the moment any conclusion in this regard."

Russian airliner bombed over Egypt Tue, November 17, 2015 Russian airliner flight 9268 crashed en route from Sharm el-Sheikh to St. Petersburg on 31st October 2015, killing all 224 people on board the vast majority of them Russian tourists. Play slideshow AP 1 of 25 The bomb that was used to blow up the Russian Airliner bound for St. Petersburg, Russia, that crashed in Hassana, north Sinai, Egypt, killing all 224 people on board