ISIS claims responsibility for Russian jet crash: Victims 'found over three-mile radius' after plane with 224 on board crashes in Egypt leaving no survivors - but officials blame 'technical fault'

The doomed Airbus A321, pictured earlier this month in Moscow was reported missing soon after it took off from Sharm el-Sheikh in Egypt, officials claimed the pilot warned of a technical problem before the disaster and asked to land at the nearest available airport 

ISIS has claimed responsibility for destroying a Russian passenger jet in response to Vladimir Putin's decision to bomb Jihadi targets in Syria. 

The aircraft, which had 200 adult passengers, 17 children and seven crew crashed less than 25 minutes after it took off from the Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh.

The Irish-owned aircraft was leased by a Russian airline. It crashed in the Hassana area, south of Arish. Security forces discovered the crash wreckage in a remote mountainous area in a region containing many ISIS-affiliated terrorists. 

Egyptian sources are claiming that wreckage has been spread over a three-mile area while an ISIS-affiliate has tried to claim responsibility for the disaster. 

According to the statement: 'The soldiers of the caliphate succeeded in bringing down a Russian plane in Sinai.'

Egyptian officials confirmed there have been no survivors as more than 120 bodies including the 17 children have been recovered

Ayman al-Mugadem of the Aviation Incidents Committee said the pilot warned air traffic controllers that aircraft had developed 'a technical problem'  and he needed to land as soon as possible. 

According to radar data, the aircraft was descending at more than 6,000 feet per minute shortly before the impact. 

A statement from an ISIS-linked group being broadcast on jihadist propaganda channels said: 'A Russian plane was dropped with the destruction of more than 220 Russian Crusaders, thankfully.' 

However, the aircraft vanished from radar screens at 30,000 feet, more than double the effective range of a shoulder-carried ground-to-air weapon system.The group known as A3'Maq News under the headline: "'ighters of the Islamic State down a Russian passenger plane in the sky over the Egyptian Sinai.'

Grieving friends relatives have begun arriving at St Petersburg airport awaiting further news about the disaster from airline officials.

It quoted a source as saying: 'This operation came in response to raids by Russian planes that have caused the deaths of hundreds of Muslims on Syrian territory, most of them women and children.'

The head of Egypt's civil aviation authority, Mahmud al-Zinati. said there were 'many dead' including 17 children. Officials said 214 of the passengers were Russians with three Ukrainians on board.

The bodies of the first victims have already arrived in Cairo.  

Adel Mahgoub, chairman of the state company that runs Egypt's civilian airports, said the plane had successfully undergone technical checks at Sharm el-Sheikh's airport before taking off. 

He said experts were going there to view security camera footage of the Metrojet plane at the airport. 

Yulia Buleyeva, pictured, was on her way home to St Petersburg from Sharm el-Sheikh when the jet developed a technical fault and crashed

Olga Sheina, pictured, was among the 220 people who died on board the doomed passenger jet which crashed earlier today

Elena Moiseeva, 39, pictured, was among the victims. Russian and Egyptian authorities have agreed to jointly investigate the claim

Alena Moiseeva, pictured, aged five, was among 17 children who were killed with the jet crashed 60 miles south of el-Arish in Sinai