Metrojet A321 flight 7K9268 crash investigators “90 per cent sure” bomb brought Russian plane down over Sinai
Investigators of the Russian plane crash that killed 224 people two weeks ago are "90 per cent sure" the incident was caused by a bomb.
The Metrojet A321 flight 7K9268 crashed 23 minutes after taking off from popular holiday destination Sharm el-Sheikh on 31 October. Islamic State has claimed responsibility for the attack on what it called "Russian crusaders".
Russian airline Kolgalmavia was quick to blame an "external factor", saying the team excluded technical problems and human error.
Last Friday, French media reported that investigators had extracted information from the black boxes that "confirmed" theories of an explosion.
Reuters is reporting that an Egyptian investigator who asked not to be named had said the team was "90 per cent sure it was a bomb".
"The indications and analysis so far of the sound on the black box indicate it was a bomb," he added.
Thousands of British holidaymakers have been left stranded in Sharm el-Sheikh after the UK government banned flights in and out of the Egyptian resort.
Rescue flights which had expected to repatratriate some of the exhausted families back home were grounded by Egyptian authorities because of "logistics". Thomas Cook was forced to divert one flight heading towards Sharm el-Sheikh mid-air because of the suspension.
Today, Thomas Cook is hoping to send two flights back to the UK – one to Gatwick and one to Manchester.
Passengers are still unable to travel with hold luggage, including prams and wheelchairs.