
A US military satellite detected a heat flash over the Sinai at the time a Russian airliner crashed, killing all 224 people aboard, US media reported.
The Airbus A321 plunged to the ground Saturday 23 minutes after taking off from the Red Sea resort of Sharm-el-Sheikh on a flight to St Petersburg.
Experts have said the fact that debris and bodies were strewn over a large area were signs the plane broke up in mid-air, a rare but not unprecedented event.
A militant group affiliated with Islamic State has claimed it brought down the plane.
Intelligence analysis has ruled out a missile strike, but US officials told CNN and other US television networks that a military satellite detected a heat flash at the time of the crash.
That could point to a catastrophic event during flight, possibly the result of a bomb explosion although analysts were considering a range of possible causes, CNN said.
Among other possibilities cited by the CNN report were the explosion of a malfunctioning engine, a fire caused by a structural problem on the plane or wreckage hitting the ground.
Investigators on Tuesday began examining the plane's two black boxes, one of which recorded on-board conversations and the other flight data, Egyptian civil aviation officials said.
Egypt's President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, who has dismissed the missile strike claim as IS "propaganda," said it would take time to establish the cause of the crash.
Source: AFP
GMT 11:43 2018 Thursday ,30 August
Terrorist organizations prepare for using chemical weapons against civiliansGMT 09:49 2018 Wednesday ,24 January
Turkey strikes Kurdish militants in Iraq 'planning attack'GMT 09:46 2018 Wednesday ,24 January
Qatar backs Turkey's military action against KurdsGMT 09:37 2018 Wednesday ,24 January
US-led strikes kill up to 150 IS fighters in SyriaGMT 09:34 2018 Wednesday ,24 January
Canada looks to Pacific as NAFTA under threatGMT 21:37 2018 Tuesday ,23 January
Joy and hope in Liberia as George Weah sworn inGMT 19:21 2018 Tuesday ,23 January
Canadian wins $1m in Dubai Duty Free Millennium drawGMT 17:56 2018 Tuesday ,23 January
Video: Sheikh Hamdan visits family who lost seven children

Maintained and developed by Arabs Today Group SAL.
All rights reserved to Arab Today Media Group 2025 ©
Maintained and developed by Arabs Today Group SAL.
All rights reserved to Arab Today Media Group 2025 ©
Send your comments
Your comment as a visitor