An infrared satellite detected a heat flash in the location and time of the plane’s crash, NBC News reported Tuesday, citing a senior USA defense official.
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“There is much work to be done to study the debris of the aircraft and the data of the flight recorders”, the chief of the Russian aviation agency, Aleksand Neradko, told Rossiya 24 news channel.
The U.S. Director of National Intelligence James Clapper said on Monday that the involvement of the Islamic State militant is unlikely in the matter.
All Airbus A321 Metrojet flights have been grounded.
The firm’s claim added to a series of confusing statements from investigators that left an unclear picture over what caused the plane to break up mid-flight.
“But as I say we must do it on the basis of evidence and not on speculation”.
Experts believe IS, also known as ISIS or ISIL, lack the missile capability to hit a plane at 31,000 feet, though it is possible a bomb was used on to take it down, they think.
Wilayat Sinai is one of the most effective groups attacking the Egyptian military in the Sinai Peninsula, said a USA official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss internal assessments.
But he said that the damage had been repaired, and was not thought to be a factor in the crash.
The company that flew the jet, Kogalymavia, on Monday ruled out pilot error or mechanical failure as causes of the crash and blamed a “mechanical impact on the aircraft”.
Under global aviation rules, airlines are not directly accredited to crash investigations and are discouraged from commenting on probes while they are still active.
Investigators say “uncharacteristic” sounds could be heard from recordings of crew and dispatcher conversations moments before the aircraft exploded.
The black box has been found intact, and the investigation is ongoing.
Islamic State militants said on the day of the crash that they had “brought down” the Russian plane to avenge those killed as a result of Moscow’s recent air campaign in Syria, launched in support of IS adversary President Bashar Assad.
“There was a sudden emergency situation on board which took the crew by surprise, and the pilots did not have time to send a distress signal”, according to Interfax.
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The plane was heading from a Red Sea resort on the Sinai peninsula to St. Petersburg, Russia. On the outskirts of town, tearful families of the victims were leaving the premises of the crematorium where the identification procedures are taking place.
