Update 3 | Russia refutes claim ISIS brought down plane, killing 224

Russian transport minister Maksim Sokolov has said that the claim that Islamic State militants brought down the plane “can’t be considered accurate.”

All 224 people on board a Russian airliner that crashed in central Sinai have been killed.

“Now in various media there is assorted information that the Russian [plane]... was supposedly shot down by an anti-aircraft missile, fired by terrorists. This information can’t be considered accurate,” Sokolov said.

Earlier, a militant group affiliated to Islamic State in Egypt claimed responsibility for bringing down the Russian passenger plane as it flew through Sinai peninsula on Saturday.

The claim was circulated by supporters on Twitter and also published on the Aamaq news website, which has previosuly been used on a semi-official basis by Islamic State to circulate propaganda.

There is no confirmation from any other sources that the plane crashed as a result of terrorist activity - and Egyptian officials were quick to rule that out as a cause of the crash earlier this morning.

All 224 people on board a Russian airliner that crashed in central Sinai have been killed, Egyptian officials  said.

The Airbus A-321 had departed from the Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh, bound for the Russian city of St Petersburg. Wreckage was found in the Hasana area and bodies were removed, along with the plane's "black box".

"I now see a tragic scene," an Egyptian official told Reuters news agency. "A lot of dead on the ground and many died whilst strapped to their seats."

He added that the plane split in two, with one part burning up and the other crashing into a rock.

214 of the passengers on board were Russian and three Ukrainians, most of whom were tourists. 17 were children aged between 2 and 17.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has declared Sunday a day of mourning, and has ordered an official investigation into the crash.

A delegation headed by Russian Transport Minister Maksim Sokolov will leave for Egypt on Saturday afternoon, and a criminal case has been opened against the airline, Kogalymavia, for "violation of rules of flight and preparation for them", Russia's Ria news agency reported.

A centre to help the victims’ relatives has been set up at Pulkovo airport, Tass news agency quoted St Petersburg city officials as saying.

Initially there were conflicting reports about the fate of the plane, some suggesting it had disappeared over Cyprus.

However, the office of Egyptian Prime Minister Sharif Ismail confirmed in a statement that a "Russian civilian plane... crashed in the central Sinai".