Russian official: Jet broke apart 'at high altitude'

John Bacon | USA TODAY

Show Caption Hide Caption Downed Russian plane reportedly broke apart midair A Russian aviation official said the Kogalymavia flight that crashed in Egypt was destroyed in the air. The cause is still unknown. Video provided by Newsy

A Russian airliner that crashed in the Sinai Peninsula, killing all 224 people aboard, broke apart at high altitude and scattered mangled bodies and plane parts over a wide swath of Egyptian desert, Russia's air transport chief said Sunday.

Alexander Neradko said it was too soon to determine what caused Saturday's horrific crash of the Metrojet charter flight. The tragedy rocked the Russian nation, which marked a day of mourning Sunday with vigils, memorials and sorrow.

Neradko said the debris field of more than 6 square miles indicated "the plane broke down in midair at high altitude," according to Russia's Rossiya-24 TV.

The Airbus A321's data and cockpit voice recorders were recovered. Russian Transport Minister Maxim Sokolov said it was not immediately clear when or where the boxes would be studied.

The Kremlin said Vladimir Puchkov, Russia's minister of civil defense, emergencies and disaster relief, was ordered to send aircraft to Egypt to aid in the recovery of the wreckage, The Wall Street Journal reported. Russia's first responders and Health Ministry were also instructed to immediately begin organizing assistance to relatives of the victims. Russia's Emergencies Ministry said five aircraft were flying to Egypt with first responders and forensic investigators on board.

The plane was en route from the Red Sea resort of Sharm El-Sheikh in Egypt to St. Petersburg, Russia, when it disappeared from radar screens 23 minutes into the flight.

The Sinai in recent years has been the setting for sometimes brutal battles between Islamic insurgents and Egyptian troops. Russian officials dismissed a claim of responsibility by an Egyptian militant group affiliated with the Islamic State in retaliation for Russia's airstrikes in Syria.

Egyptian security adviser Sayed Ghoniem told Daily News Egypt that the insurgents in the Sinai don't have the radar tracking technology and anti-aircraft missile capabilities required to take down a plane at 30,000 feet. Another Egyptian aviation official, Ayman al-Muqadem, said the pilot reported technical difficulties and sought to land at the nearest airport minutes before the crash, The Associated Press reported.

Most of the victims were Russian tourists. Sharm El-Sheikh is a popular tourism destination, known for its beaches and scuba diving. The youngest victim was 10-month-old Darina Gromova, according to a manifest released by the Russian Association of Tour Operators.

A picture of Darina gazing at a tarmac from inside the terminal in St. Petersburg days before the crash has become a symbol of the tragedy to Russians, according to RT news. Her parents, Aleksei, 27, and Tatiana, 26, also died in the crash.

At Pulkovo Airport in St. Petersburg, an impromptu memorial to the victims quickly grew. Scores of flower arrangements, candles and stuffed animals — more than a dozen children were among the victims — adorn a section of the busy terminal.

The Egyptian Forensic Medicine Authority most of the bodies had been recovered by midday Sunday. Some bodies were being flown back to Russia later in the day.

The Vatican issued a statement Sunday saying Pope Francis was praying "for all who have died and for all who mourn their loss." British Prime Minister David Cameron called Russian President Vladimir Putin to express condolences on behalf of the British people.

Russia's air safety agency ordered Metrojet to suspend all flights until at least Monday, but the company said it would continue operating its six remaining A321s if they passed inspections, the AP reported.

The German transportation ministry issued a "comprehensive warning" for airlines not to fly over parts of the Sinai Peninsula. Lufthansa, Emirates and Air France were among major airlines announcing they would stop flying over the area until the cause of the crash was determined.

A team of about 100 Russian investigators and support staff are working with Egyptian officials, Russia's Emergencies Ministry said. The plane was designed in France and built in Germany, and both nations said they will be involved to help determine the cause of the catastrophe.

Flight Radar 24, a flight tracking service, said the plane was descending at 6,000 feet per minute when it went off radar. The crash is believed to be the deadliest in the history of Russian aviation, surpassing a 1985 disaster in Uzbekistan in which 200 people died, the Russian-run news agency RIA says.

Contributing: Doug Stanglin, USA TODAY