"Only some kind of impact caused Russian plane to fall apart in mid-air"

Over one-hundred and seventy bodies have been recovered from the Russian crash site, with the remains of more than 140 victims flown to St Petersburg and transported in two lorries from Pulkovo Airport on Monday morning.

Metrojet's Deputy Director General Alexander Smirnov said: "There are no circumstances where a plane can just fall apart in mid-air. There is no technical fault or stopping of internal systems that could lead to the aircraft's dismembering.

"If we don't take in fantastical versions that the plane can be destroyed by a change in pressure, the only plausible reason is mechanical action aimed at the plane."

The aircraft's crew did not make any contact about problems with the plane during the 23 minutes before it disappeared off flight radar, the airline said.

Managers from Kogalymavia, which operated the Metrojet flight, said only "some kind of impact" could have caused the plane to start falling apart in mid-air as it flew over Egypt.

Speaking in Moscow, bosses dismissed claims that financial problems could have compromised safety and said both the Airbus A321's engines had been inspected on October 26, with no problems found.

The airline said flight crew had not recorded any technical concerns in their log book during the jet's last five flights - though the wife of co-pilot Sergei Truckahev reportedly claimed at the weekend that he had complained "the technical condition of the aircraft left much to be desired".

The Kremlin, which previously played down a claim of responsibility from Islamic State-linked terrorists , said on Monday that "nothing can be ruled out" as investigators work with debris spread over some eight miles on the Sinai Peninsula.