The Russian airline, Kogalymavia, whose jet crashed in Egypt killing all 224 on board, said on Monday that the crash could not have been caused by a technical fault or human error but external influence.
The crash, in Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula on Saturday, could only have been the result of some other “technical or physical action” which caused it to break up in the air and plummet to the ground, said Alexander Smirnov, deputy general director of the airline, Kogalymavia.
The plane was in excellent condition. We rule out a technical fault and any mistake by the crew.
Alexander Smirnov, Deputy General Director of Kogalymavia in Moscow
According to Russian News Agency TASS, the black boxes retrieved from the Airbus A321 plane’s crash site in Egypt are in good condition.
I would like to once again express my condolences to the families and relatives of the victims.
Vladimir Putin, President of Russia
The flight, which took off from the Egyptian Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh, was headed to St Petersburg in Russia.
No emergency calls were made by the pilots, said Smirnov.
Kogalymavia’s deputy general director for engineering, Andrei Averyanov, confirmed that a routine inspection took place on October 26, five days before the crash.
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