Debris belonging to the A321 Russian airliner is seen at the site of the crash in Wadi el-Zolmat, a mountainous area in Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula on Sunday. Investigators began probing the cause of the crash, as rescue workers widened their search for missing victims. Photo: AFP

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A Russian airliner that crashed in Egypt on Saturday "broke up in the air," a Russian aviation official said on Sunday, adding that it was too early to talk about conclusions from the crash, Russian news agencies reported.

Viktor Sorochenko, an official with the Intergovernmental Aviation Committee, made the comments after inspecting the crash site on Egypt's Sinai peninsula.

"The plane broke up in midair and its fragments are scattered over a vast area of about 20 square kilometers," he said, according to Russia's TASS news agency.

Russian, Egyptian and other international investigators on Sunday have begun probing why a Russian passenger plane crashed in Egypt's Sinai Peninsula on Saturday, killing all 224 people on board.

Russian and Egyptian investigators have started analyzing the plane's two black box data recorders, which were recovered late Saturday.

Two investigators specializing in the safety of the planes from the French Agency for Safety of Civil Aviation, six consultants from Airbus and two Germans in the same field will join the Egyptian-Russian team later on Sunday, Egypt's state-run Ahram website reported.

Rescuers have found 163 bodies of the 224 passengers and crew, the cabinet statement said on Sunday.

Airbus A321 jets grounded

Russia has grounded Airbus A321 jets flown by the Kogalymavia airline, Interfax news agency reported on Sunday.

The A321, operated by the Russian airline under the brand name Metrojet, was carrying holidaymakers from the Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh to St Petersburg when it went down soon after daybreak on Saturday.

A militant group affiliated to the Islamic State (IS) in Egypt said in a statement that it brought down the plane "in response to Russian airstrikes that killed hundreds of Muslims on Syrian land," but Russia's Transport Minister Maxim Sokolov told Interfax news agency the claim "can't be considered accurate."

Militants in the area are not believed to have missiles capable of hitting a plane at about 30,000 feet (9,144 meters). It was at an altitude of 31,000 feet when it vanished from radar screens.

Kogalymavia said Saturday that the pilot flying the Airbus 321 was very experienced. Authorities at the last fuel stop said there had not been any red flags.

"The plane did not undergo a technical check in Samara [in southeastern Russia], but the crew went through a health check and it was found fit to fly," said regional transport prosecutor's office representative Maya Ivanova.

Three carriers based in the United Arab Emirates said on Sunday they were re-routing flights to avoid flying over Sinai. Two of Europe's largest carriers, Lufthansa and Air France-KLM, have already said they would avoid flying over the peninsula while awaiting an explanation of the cause.

Search resumes

Emergency services and aviation specialists resumed their search at the crash site, which is spread over more than 20 square kilometers, early on Sunday with 100 Russian emergency workers on their way to help recover bodies and gather evidence.

Russia, an ally of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, launched air raids against opposition groups in Syria including the IS on September 30.

The IS, the ultra-hardline group that controls large parts of Iraq and Syria, has called for a holy war against both Russia and the US in response to airstrikes on its fighters in Syria.

Airbus said the A321 was built in 1997 and had been operated by Metrojet since 2012.

The aircraft took off at 5:51 am Cairo time and disappeared from radar screens 23 minutes later, Egypt's Civil Aviation Ministry said in a statement.

Those on board included 214 Russians, at least three Ukrainians and one Belarusian, most returning from holidays on the Red Sea, popular with Russians seeking winter sun.

The Russian flag was flying at half-mast over the Russian embassy in Cairo on Sunday morning. President Vladimir Putin has declared a day of national mourning in Russia.