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What caused a Russian jet to crash in Egypt, killing all 224 people on board? The details remain unclear.
Metrojet, the plane’s Russian operator, ruled out technical or human error and blamed “external factors” for the crash,BuzzFeed News writes. But the airline’s officials didn’t provide any documentation and only used “assertive statements” while the Russian government called the conclusions “premature,” theNew York Times writes.
The plane, which was en route from the Egyptian resort Sharm el-Sheikh to St. Petersburg in Russia, reportedly broke up around 20 minutes into the flight at an altitude of roughly 30,000 feet.
A woman lights a candle in Kazansky Cathedral in St. Petersburg, on Nov. 2.
Vasily Maximov / AFP / Getty Images
What we know so far.
- A satellite captured a “heat flash” over the Sinai peninsula at the time of the crash, according to NBC and CNN. An unnamed official told NBC that the heat flash was consistent with an explosion of sorts on board the plane. The heat flash also contradicts claims by ISIS, which say the plane was shot out of the air.
- Egypt has categorized claims that the plane was shot down by ISIS as “propaganda,” the Associated Press writes. Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sisi said the Sinai peninsula — the location of the crash — is under “full control,” BBC News writes.
- Whether or not terrorism brought down the plane carrying 217 passengers and seven crew members is still unclear.U.S. Director of National Intelligence James Clapper saidthere was no “direct evidence of any terrorist involvement yet.” Though he noted this option hasn’t been ruled out.
