Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi has said that it is far too early to hypothesize about the cause of Saturday’s air crash in the Sinai peninsula that killed 224 people.

The Airbus A321, operated by Russian airline Kogalymavia under the brand name Metrojet, was carrying mainly Russian tourists.

“In such accidents, we know that it is very important to leave this matter (to experts) and we do not talk about the reasons behind it – because it takes a very long time,” al-Sisi said in a speech on Sunday.

“These are complicated issues and need advanced techniques which might take months. We therefore should not anticipate the events because it would reduce our credibility.”

A Russian aviation official said on Sunday the aircraft must have broken up in the sky, highlighting the wide area in which the wreckage has been found.

Meanwhile, residents of the Egyptian capital left flowers outside the Russian embassy in Cairo.

Euronews correspondent Mohammed Shaikhibrahim reported from there: “Condolences from the Egyptian people are the very least they feel they can offer – as Egypt and Russia have had a strong relationship for many years.

“Russians make up the majority of the large tourist groups that choose Egypt as their top holiday destination.”

Euronews