The Kogalymavia-operated Airbus A321 (Flight 9268) fyling from Sharm el-Sheikh to St. Petersburg disappeared from radar screens at 6.14 a.m. It crashed near the town of Hasna in the north of the Sinai Peninsula with no survivors among the 224 passengers and crew members, aged from 10 months old to 22 years.

Aviation officials state that the passenger jet broke into pieces in mid-air with debris scattered across a remote area plagued by a violent Islamic insurgency.

The black boxes have yet to determine the cause of crash, with Egypt’s Civil Aviation Minister Hossam kamal stating that there had been no signs of problems on board and no SOS call having been made. Nonetheless, there are conflicting reports that the pilot had been concerned about technical difficulties and a request to land at the nearest airport by the pilot of the ill-fated plane.

The co-pilot’s ex-wife told Russia’s state-run NTV that he’d told their daughter that he was concerned abut the technical condition of the plane.

An Islamic State affiliate circulated a video on social media and claimed responsibility for the crash, though experts doubt that the terror group was responsible though it is till too early to tell.

Terrorism still hasn’t been ruled out, however the experts state that a number of other problems could have caused the failure e.g. maintenance problems.

Scattered remains:

Victims

A Russian plane carrying the remains of 144 of the crash victims arrived in St. Petersburg early on Monday, reports RIA Novosti news agency.

Mourners arrived to lay flowers and light candles outside Pulkovo International Airport in St. Petersburg on Sunday as a day second mourning was held for the victims of the crashed Russian plane in Egypt.

Investigators recover personal belongings on Sunday: