The initial examination of two black boxes retrieved from the Russian aircraft which crashed in Sinai on Saturday showed that it was not exposed to external interference. Nor, the initial tests reveal, did the pilot issue any distress signals before disappearing from the radar, increasing the suspicion that the crash was caused by technical failure or an internal explosion, it has been reported.
A statement issued by the Egyptian cabinet refused to publish any of the early examination findings, saying that the special investigation team will issue its full report after completing its work.
The first bodies recovered from the wreckage arrived at St Petersburg’s Pulkovo Airport on board a Russian government aircraft on Monday. Egypt said that 196 bodies were on the flight.
The Russian Airbus 321 was carrying 217 passengers and seven crew members when it crashed.