petersburg.ere's so many families coming together to remember their loved ones, children, mothers, husbands, people who were taking a holiday, an innocent holiday vacation and found themselves on this doomed flight. again, an investigation is under way to determine what brought this plane down. the cause, though, is not yet known. let's listen in for a moment here. >>> again, in live image f st. petersburg, russia, as this live service getting under way to remember the dead of the doomed metrojet flight. for more perspective, let's bring in a moscow-based. the mood in russia is somber, as it is around the world as people look at what happened to this plane, these innocent victims who were killed. >> reporter: yes, indeed. of course, the mood is doomed. of course, people realize now that the theory of a terrorist attack is not ruled out to say the least. as they learn the news that the flights have been canceled. according to some estimates, about 100,000 people were expecting to go to egypt on va

petersburg. peter, a national day of mourning for russia, flags flying at half mast. tell us what's going on now? >> arrival gate at st. petersburg, some young children coming in and laying flowers and candles there, and those scenes will be repeated all over st. petersburg. those outside the winter palace will be filled with tens of thousands of people for a candle lit vigil. it is conceivable that vladimir putin could attend this. he has been handing out or dealing with condolence calls all day. after that vigil the first of the bodies will start returning to st. petersburg. theam be flown in in aircraft during the night. so it is a pretty somber day here. >> indeed. what are the investigations going on in the crash, what's the latest you're hearing on that? >> well, that's well underway. three aircraft have been taking out a huge team of air safety officials and the transport minister, and they are there at the scene of the crash as the bodies are starting to be removed. black boxes have been

petersburg crashed on saturday. investigators at the crash site said the plane broke up mid air but still don't know why. peter sharp reports from st. petersburg. >> reporter: in the early hours of monday morning a russian government plane carrying the viment of the disasteviments of thevictims of. armed group linked to i.s.i.l. claims it shot down the airbus a-321 in response to air strikes in syria. russian officials say the plane broke up at high altitude. now the russian airline says it believes the plane was brought down by an external impact, ruling out technical fault or pilot error. >> translator: there are no such faults like engine failure or system failure. there are no such combination of systems failure that could lead to a plane breaking up in air. the only possible explanation could be an impact, mechanical or physical impact. >> the kremlin said nothing could be ruled out in connection with the crash and there was this from president putin. >> i would again like to express my condolences to the famil

petersburg newspaper the oldest here if st. petersburg, widely respects, the injuries fall into two categories, those in the front of the aircraft, they say, have got burns and tra ma-type injuries, indicative of falling from the sky. the rear of the aircraft have explosive trauma injury, pieces of metal trafficments in the body. they're quoting their sources, okay, here in st. petersburg the forensic teams are examining the bodies of the potential there. for more information being provided. the task state news agency says here however what they understand from their sources is there has been no explosive residue found on the bodies, there has been no indication of explosive damage to the bodies, so what people are hearing in russia, and what would be very painful for the families right now is not knowing precisely what brought down that aircraft, two different possibilities, john, allison. >> okay, nic, thanks for that. time for an early start on your money. seeing lots of green i rows this morning, asian, european markets hig

petersburg. they didn't return, the parents did not return. now a large number of orphans here. we are seeing a lot of people coming and leaving flowers. children leaving toys. parents hugging their children. a lot of tears. the toughest part of the grief here today is for the families of the victims. they are taken by government officials to a morgue where 144 bodies of those dead have already returned early this morning to st. petersburg. they will begin the difficult and tough process of trying to find and recognize their loved ones and identify. more bodies are brought back tonight and personal possessions transported back here. it is a day here in the region, the government called for another day of morning. we stand here and see a lot of sadness. >> nic robertson, thank you. >>> republican presidential candidates trying to seize more control of the tv debate process from networks and republican party. meeting last night face-to-face for the first time. this morning, the campaigns have preci

petersburg. >> in the early hours of monday morning a russian government plane carrying the victims of the air disaster touched down in st. petersburg. all 224 passengers and crew on board the aircraft died. almost all of them were russian holiday-makers. the bodies had been brought to a city mortuary where relatives are now tasked with identifying their loved ones. at the crash site in egypt, aviation inspectors are trying to link the cause. i.s.i.l. claimed it shot down, claims quickly dismissed by the russian and egyptian governments. russian officials say the plane broke up at high altitude. now it believed that the plane was brought down by external impact, ruling out technical or pilot error. >> there are no such faults such as engine failure or system failure. there are no such combination of systems failure that would lead to a plane breaking up in the air. the only explanation could be a certain impact some mechanical or physical impact. >> reporter: the kremlin said nothing could be rul

petersburg. plus hundreds of ya ski zi soldiers ready to fight. >>> and later, kansas city fans go wild after their baseball team clenches its first world championship in 30 years. a welcome to our viewers in the united states and around the world. i'm rosemary church. thanks for joining us. this is "cnn newsroom." >>> their return from a holiday was not supposed to be so grim. the bodies of 144 people who died when their plane crashed in the sinai peninsula have just arrived in st. petersburg. it was supposed to be the final destination of a flight when it went down saturday. investigators are still trying to figure out just what went wrong on the russian airliner. officials now believe the plane broke apart in midair, but they don't know why. for the latest, we'll turn to nick robertson who is in st. petersburg. nick, 25 children lost on this flight as well as parents on vacation without their children. it is a tragedy that has touched the whole nation. what more are we learns about the loved o

petersburg where the airbus a-321 was heading. an investigation is now taking place to find out why the plane came down in the sinai peninsu peninsula. peter sharp has the update from st. petersburg. >> reporter: across the city of st. petersburg they will be remembering those who never returned from that holiday and died in the crash yesterday. there is a small shrine here at the airport and there's a steady trickle of people, many of them young children coming in and laying flowers and candles on a table outside the arrival entrance. in the field, three aircraft, russian aircraft have arrived in cairo with a full complement of air safety offices including the transport minister. now they'll be at the site in the next few hours overseeing the removal of the bodies and really their first priority is going to try and be to have some idea that they can tell their family and friends what possibly caused this crash. there was no distress call from the pilot. what happened happened very, very quickly. and as far as these almost inevita

petersburg. investigators are to begin examining the two black boxes, which have been recovered from the crash site to find out what happened. several major airlines have suspended flights over the area, though, until the cause of the crash is known. our correspondent is at the memorial service and joins us from st. petersburg. i imagine the relatives the victims still wondering what happened and the country feeling shock and sadness. how would you describe the mood there? >> it's very somber and i think the sheer horror of this tragedy is going to become much more apparent over the next few hours when the bodies start coming home. we're expecting the first of 137 bodies have been recovered so far to be arriving through the night and into the morning at a military base airport near the capital. the bodies will then be taken to a purpose-built mortuary to the north of the state, and they will then be matched with d.n.a. samples that have been given by their families, who have been put in a hotel h

petersburg, and can you tell me more about the fepeople that we lost?ll, ashleigh, the passenger list has been made public of cour course, and one of the first things that you will notice when you look at the list is that there are so many people with the same family name, and surname, and because this is a essentially family tourist holiday flight after a week or so, the half turn for the school holidays for the schools, and the families had packed the kid s with them to take them for the holiday in the sun in the start of what is a very long and cold winter here in st. petersburg, and this is obviously not the kind of homecoming that they were expecting. 25 children, i think that you mentioned this figure, lost their the lives aboard the aircraft, and other children in fact, have been made orphans by the crash, because as you mentioned, some of the couples that had left their children with other family members here in st. petersburg and elsewhere to get away for privacy and break for some sun on their own. a so a group, generation almost of orphans ha

petersburg for 224 people who died in a plane crash on saturday.an officials say it broke up in the sky. in the past half hour we heard from the prime minister and calling for national unity as he and supporters celebrate vict y victory. >> translator: today all ak party supporters can stand dignified with honor. more than ever before and here is our message, we are here to sow even more seeds of love, share this with 17 million in turkey. there are no enemies on this land, only those who spread love and affection. my second message is to those who may not have voted for the ak party but may vote for ak party in the future. and dear citizens you must not feel defeated. there are no losers today. the only winner is our nation, our republic and our democracy. we are on our way to enter the hearts of everyone in turkey whether you voted for us or not. >> for analysis of the results so far in turkey we are joined by wolfgang the manager director of intelligence a company that analyzes political risk and joins us live via skype from new york and thank y

petersburg. thanks so much. so many of the passengers were returning from vacation when that plane went down. and photos from several of their social media accounts are beginning to surface online, including this heartbreaking image. a 10-month-old, doreena gramova, she is the youngest victim of that crash and her parents posted this photo of the baby looking out the window at the st. petersburg airport before their trip to egypt. for the first time we're hearing from some family members and friends of the victims. here now with cnn senior international correspondent nic robertson. >> reporter: a mother arrives, lays flowers, bares her heart. "i've just arrived from siberia," she says. "my daughter was on the plane. ." she almost collapses before being helped away. in her grief, she is not alone. sunday declared a day of national mourning. flower upon flower piling up outside the terminal where me o metrojet flight 9628 was yet to land. yevgeny lays flowers, crosses himself. his friend was aboard. "he tells us h

petersburg. >> extension of what they're already doing now. in his first comments since the situation was announced, president obama said the troops will not be doing anything more than be trainers. >> we have run special ops already, extension of what we continue to do. we are not putting u.s. troops on the front line fighting firefights with i.s.i.l. but i've been consistent throughout that we are not going to be fighting like we did in iraq with a -- battalions and occupations. that doesn't solve the problem. >> the u.n. envoy to syria has called on both the government and the opposition to be involved in a political solution. stefan de mastura involved in the recent talks in vienna. >> we have been asking the aspects of vienna, because the current government was not present nor the opposition. i think it is clear everyone involved in syria should be involved, that's my duty and i'm doing it. we need some facts on the ground, some ceasefire some reduction in violence, that would make a difference give a feeling to the syrian people that the

petersburg. brian webb for cbs news. >>> russian -- russians living in the area are concerned about their loved ones. albertan has reaction. >> i think it is horrible. >>, god. >> that is so sad. >> news of the crash quickly spread. this is terrible. it is like shocked. >> officials say all on board were killed. >> i have heard the rescue teams here in some -- hearing voices of victims coming down from wreckage. >> 224 people. are being taken. folks are keeping a close watch on passengers. >> the community usually pulls together. definitely. unfortunately, this happened abroad so whoever has family there. i am sure. i am blessed that all of my family is here but we are going to go home and try to figure out if somebody we knew was on it. >> here in the boston area. russian and ukrainian churches and their families. >> paul burton, wbz news. >>> it was a brisk night for trick-or-treating. the first week of november is looking pretty warm. barry burbank with a look at your forecast. >>> with the te

petersburg and crashed in the sinai on saturday. investigators say that the plane broke up mid wear but they still don't know why. we have reports from st. petersburg. >> in the early hours of monday morning a russian government plane carrying the victories of the airsasster touched down. at the crash sight in egypt, aviation experts have been searching for clues for the cause of the disaster. an armed group claims that it shot done the airbus in response to russian airstrikes in syria. claims quickly dismissed. return officials say that the plane broke up at high altitude. now the russian airline says that it believes the plane was brought down by an external impact. >> there are no such faults like engine failure or system failure. there is no combination of system's fair that would lead to the break up in the air. >> the only possible explanation for a break up in the aircraft in the air could be a certain impact some mechanical or physical impact. >> the kremlin said that nothing could be ruled out in connection with the crash,

petersburg right now is our nic robertson. nic, a demure vladimir putin on this. >> reporter: he did not set the lead for the tone of the investigation. he had the transport minister and deferred to the transport minister. the transport minister is in charge of the special commission he set up. the group looking at the air crash and working with the egyptians and minister had just come back from egypt. he referred to him and said you tell us what is happening with that. i know it is set up properly, but tell us how it is working in egypt. it is like president putin took a step back of taking ownership of this. he doesn't want the investigation rushed. he wants all of the work to be done and recovery. he also had support for the people of st. petersburg here. we still see them here coming out and laying flowers and toys. the other thing happening in st. petersburg, the bodies returned. 196 bodies. the second flight arriving this morning. it is a slow process for the families who are staying at a hotel near the airport here to i

petersburg. an american official tells cnn a heat flash.commed by a military satellite, it happened midair. >> that leaves open the possibility of a bomb on board that flight metro jet 9268. but there are some reports in russian media, the bodies of victims uncovered so far show no sign of explosive impact. so that might point more toward engine or structural failure as a cause, but adding to all the confusion, other media reports say some bodies did show evidence of an explosion, this morning, investigators have finished their field work. data is being recovered from black boxes. >> that could mean more answer, more answers soon. >> reporter: good morning, john, that's exactly what we need, more answers. we have been getting bits and pieces of information and it's unclear how all this fits together. egyptian officials have been tight lipped. most of the information we have been getting has been from russian media roar t. latest of which, russian state media reporting the tail of the plane was fo

petersburg. it's this haunting photo that is spreading on social media that is touching everyone's heart. it shows the youngest crash victim, 10 month old, in st. petersburg before she and her parents boarded the doomed flight to egypt. at the st. petersburg airport, a memorial strung up, piled with flowers, candles and children's toys. nic robertson is there. hi, nic. >> hi, carol. people have been showing up here all day to leave flowers, leave st toys. a lot bringing children. we talked to the families. they feel grief stricken and know it could have been them on board that flight. they say they want to show sympathy and support. often, at times, you look around here and see several people crying. grown men among them. it is a very tough time but, of course, the toughest day for the families today. some of the bod doies brought h. 144 bodies brought back. the family members taken to a morgue by government officials to begin the identification progress. the airline company says there was nothin

petersburg crashed in sinai. investigators say that the plane broke up in midair, but they don't know why. we have reports from st. petersberg. >> a russian government plane carrying the victims of the air disaster touched down in st. petersburg. all 224 passengers and crew on board died. most all of them were russian holiday makers. the bodies had been brought to a city mortuary where families are now tasked with identifying their loved ones. the aviation experts have been searching for clues for the cause of the disaster. an armed group claims that it shot down the airbus in response to russian airstrikes in syria. claims quickly dismissed by the russian and egyptian government. russian officials say that the plane broke up at high altitude. now the russian airline says it believes the plane was brought down by an external impact ruling out technical faults or pilot error. >> there are no such faults like engine failure or system failure. there is no such combination of systems failure that could lead to a plan

petersburg, russia sunday.... families gather at the airport waiting for the remains of their loved ones to be returned. who died there? man #1: my wife. rfe/rl: where are you from? man #1: st. petersburg. rfe/rl: was she on vacation there? man #1: yes. she went with the children and with a granddaughter. the granddaughter and the children returned earlier, and she stayed later.russian forensic experts arrived at the morgue in cairo -- where those remains are being identified. they're hoping to find out what caused flight 92-68 to suddenly drop off radar, only 23 minutes in the air - and crash in a remote region plagued by a violent islamic insurgency. according to russia's aviation committee, the airliner broke into pieces midair, and the fragments scattered around a large area. russian media outlets also say the pilot reported technical problems and requested a landing at the nearest airport before the plane went missing -- but egyptian authorities disputed that claim. all 224 people aboard the airbus -- en rout

petersburg. the name of a man whose last resting place will never be known now adorns the street he called home. olga: today, we are fulfilling a hope held by our family. a hope that valentin friedrichovich miller will never be forgotten. sergey: almost a hundred such plaques have been mounted on facades in russia since the first went up last december. damien: one of the things i've always noticed living in different countries throughout central europe is that people often look down on their neighbours to the east. here in germany for example, you sometimes hear negative stereotypes about polish people. while in poland, it is ukrainians that sometimes get treated badly. and of course the conflict in ukraine has meant that more ukrainians than ever are heading to poland to find safety or simply a better life. but now a popular tv show might just be changing attitudes for the better. >> i'm leaving lviv 'cause i lost my job at the philharmonic. >> i'm fleeing ukraine 'cause my firm went bankrupt. >

petersburg. but they're not just them. we never want an airline to crash again. >> some bodies recovered, some ten kilometers from the crash site. flying from the red sea resort ever sharm el sheikh to st. petersburg. decided not to fly over the area some airlines, until the cause of the crash is identified. both rudd and egypt are russia e reluctant to give any credibility to i.s.i.l. affiliates that they shot down the airbus. >> translator: it is very important that the this matter be left alone and the discussions of the reasons behind this should take place. this takes a very long time. these are complicated matters that ries require broad techniqs and complicated measures that take months to process. >> the worst ever air disaster of russia. questions too what happened over the skies of egypt. but for a community desperate to understand what happened to that flight? there will be no quick answers. for these people, the hor of hof this tragedy is when they will be taken to a purpose-built mor

petersburg where the identification process will begin.says the plane broke up in midair over egypt's sinai peninsula, it crashed minutes after taking off from the resort. all 224 passengers and crew were killed. >>> on sunday, the city of st. petersburg came out to remember and mourn those who lost their lives in the crash. candles were lit and flowers laid as people gathered in palace square. official mornin mourning eventsl continue in tuesday. moscow says it will competent victims' families and help with funeral arrangements. peter sharp joins us from st. petersburg. peter, as we said some of the bodies have already been returned. others are expected later. take us through that and take us -- tell us what happens to them. >> reporter: yes, well, we have had 144 bodies came in overnight. it's a bad day for the people here. it really brings back to them, you know, what this is all about. there will be more bodies coming over the next half a day, day navy suppose. they will be taken to a purpose-built mortuary which is in the north of the

petersburg. and desiccator say the plane fell from the sky 20 minutes after taking off from a resort city. isis is claiming responsibility. >>reporter: a russian airbus took off around 6 am on saturday morning from egypt. the metro jet was on its way to st. petersburg when the pilot radioed the control tower to report technical problems. the plane went off course and disappeared from radar about 20 minutes into the flight. military search helicopters spotted wreckage in the sinai peninsula, the same area where government and islamic eight militants have clashed. isis has claimed responsibility, but are not known to have the capability to bring down a plane at those heights. a caravan of am& transported the dead to a morgue in cairo. victims family members gathered at a hotel where grief counselors were on hand. john kerry sent condolences. >> we extend our sympathies to the families and all those who are concerned. >>reporter: investigators have recovered the black boxes, that data holds critical

petersburg, russia sunday.amilies gather at the airport waiting for the remains of their loved ones to be returned. >> : who died there? >> man #1: my wife. >> : where are you from? >> man #1: st. petersburg. >> : was she on vacation there? >> man #1: yes. she went with the children and with a granddaughter. the granddaughter and the children returned earlier, and she stayed later. --grandfather >> reporter :russian forensic experts arrived at the morgue in cairo -- where those remains are being identified. they're hoping to find out what caused flight 92-68 to suddenly drop off radar, only 23 minutes in the air - and crash in a remote region plagued by a violent islamic insurgency. according to russia's aviation committee, the airliner broke into pieces midair, and the fragments scattered around a large area. russian media outlets also say the pilot reported technical problems and requested a landing at the nearest airport before the plane went missing -- but egyptian authorities disputed that claim. all 224 p

petersburg. people have gathered. these aren'trelatives, necessarily, of the people on board that plane, they're just ordinary people, fellow travelers, residents of st. petersburg come here to pay their respects and to mourn what has become a tragedy not just for the city but for this country as well. the memorials that are being laid out, the flowers, the candles, the children's toys as well, an indication of how many children were on board that flight. it was 25 i think is the figure. the youngest just 10 months old. and so, yes, there's a great deal of sadness amongst people across russia but particularly here in st. petersburg, which has really felt that this is almost personal tragedy. >> all right. matthew chance, thank you so much. reportedly there were a number of families on that flight because sharm el sheikh was a great destination for many people there out of st. petersburg. a lot to talk about here. let's bring in cnn safety analyst david susie, also a former safety inspector for the faa. david, in your

petersburg until tuesday.ay candles were lit and flowers laid as people gathered in the square. moscow says it will competent families and help with funeral arrangements, peter sharp sent this update from st. petersburg. >> reporter: crash investigators at the scene have been recovering bodies following the crash on saturday. and overnight an aircraft from cairo brought back 144 of the victims. now they will be taken from the airport here to a special purpose-built mortuary in the north of the city where they will be matched with d.n.a. samples that were taken from their families. and that should result in positive identification of the bodies. meanwhile, the investigation in to the crash goes on, but it's going to be sometime, possibly months before they come up with anything definitive. what we do know that this aircraft broke up at very high altitude, possibly around 30,000 feet, from some catastrophic effect, and the whole area of debris stretches over 20 square kilometers and they are still search that go

petersburg. there's another plane due back in the next few hours, bringing more human remains back to this country, so there can be more identified and funeral arrangements made. >> matthew, looks like you're standing right in front a memorial at st. petersburg airport where the plane was due to land. what's the mood there today? >> reporter: yeah. it's -- it's very sad, and, you're right. this is the memorial that's been springing up over the past three day and even now there are people here laying flowers, lighting candles and -- and these children's toys to remember the fact that 25 of the people on board the plane were just children, so it's deeply sad event. russia has had more than its fair share, i think it's fair to say, of airline disasters. it's affected by terrorism. there's been maintenance and technical problems that have led to casualties and deaths as well, but this has particularly touched people in this country perhaps because it was a tourist flight. these people have gone to si

petersburg. 224 passengers and crew on board died. almost all of them were russian holiday makers. the bodies have been brought so a mortuary where they are tasked with identifying for loved ones. at a crash site in egypt aviation experts search for clues as to the disaster. an armed group linked to i.s.i.l. claims it shut down the aircraft in response to russian air strikes, dismissed by the russians and egyptian governments. russian officials say the plane broke up at high altitude. now the airline says it believes the plane was brought down by an external impact ruling out technical faults or pilot error. >> translation: there are no such faults like engine failure or system failure, there's no combination of systems failure that could lead to a plane breaking up in the air. the only possible explanation for a break up of an aircraft in the air could be an impact. mechanical or physical impact. >> the kremlin said nothing could be ruled out in connection with the crash, and there was in from vladimir putin. >> translation: i would again like to express my condolences to the fami

petersburg, the awful task of identifying the dead continues.he families in and relations are taken by car to the crematorium and the mortuary, where they will have their dna matched with the bodies there. it's an appalling task, and when you think there are 224 crew and passengers killed in this disaster, and they have only formally identified just ten people, so it's going to be a very long process. putin's press secretary has warned the media against trying to link the disaster with syria's -- with russia's operations in syria. he said that is most inappropriate, he said. >> that is peter sharp reporting for us from st. petersburg, russia. >>> the pentagon saying it will continue operating in the south china sea. the admiral said the u.s. military would operate within a 12-mile limit. that is what is allowed under international maritime law. last week a destroyer passed near an artificial island that the chinese claim is their own sovereign territory. >>> refugees continue to flow into europe. this weekend 60 refugees drowned trying to reach

petersburg, russia. germany's lufthansa, and air france will halt flight over that area. >> the black box, as we understand it, have been obtained by the investigators, and are on their way to moscow for read out. it does appear that this was a result of some sort of internal event possibly a center fuel tank explosion or the possibility of some sort of bomb or device that had been placed on the aircraft. but certainly a sad event, and i feel great remorse for our friends in russia. >> so from what you're saying and what you're seeing so far it is possible in your opinion that there might have been a bomb or some type of explosive device introduced inside the plane that a terrorist group would take responsibility for? >> well, that certainly can't be ruled out at this point. although the plane had some mechanical problems with the previous owner, so both of these investigations, both the criminal investigation as well as the civil investigation have got to proceed. but with the black box information if t

petersburg, an expanding memorial to the dead. sharm el sheikh is a popular vacation spot for russians. >> it's sad, people children who are on the flight. it's heartbreaking, i have a child myself and i fly very often. >> russian federal investigators have opened a criminal case into the incident. on the weekend russian police reportedly raided the airline's moscow offices seizing documents and hard drives. russia has a poor aviation safety record with many incidents blamed on aging aircraft but the plane was in good shape. it is hoped that the data recorders will reveal more information. it is clear something catastrophic happened to the russian flight at high altitude. it is going to take a lot of time to get an answer as to exactly what went wrong. perhaps another couple of months. peter sharp, al jazeera, st. petersburg. >>> while we don't know why the russian passenger jet crashed, it is no doubt, the area has become a haven for unrest. al jazeera'al jazeera's patricis more. >> the debris of russia's deadliest civilian air d

the plane crashed after takeoff from the resort town bound for saint petersburg.xaminers will to begin examining the two black boxes. the airliner broke up in the air, they say. several have suspended flights over the area until the cause of the crash is known. our correspondent sent us this update from saint petersburg. >> 244 white and red balloons into the air forked for every one of those who died in that disaster. the search for the bodies is continuing at the scene. they found 175 so far. and the director of the trans national aviation committee, has said as far as he is concerned, the aircraft broke up at very, very high a lotitude. it means that the debris trail action tends to over 20s square kilometers. tragically, they found the body of a young 3-year-old girl more than eight kilometers from the site. >> the egyptian president is warning it could be months before the cause of the metro jet plane crash is known. >> it's very important that this matter be left alone and that discussions of the reasons behind it should not take place because it takes a ver

petersburg airport. >> they told us the landing will be at 11:40. my child called me. he was on holiday with his family. my son, his wife and their daughter. their daughter is 10-month-old. >> i'm waiting for the person i love. we spoke through the internet yesterday. there was supposed to be board this plane. i checked the radar. everything seemed to be fine. then around 11:30 i came here. when i came i couldn't find the flight anywhere on the screen. >> the airbus seen here in moscow 11 days ago was operated by the russian airline metro jet. it was flying from the red so sea resort. 33 minutes after take off it dropped out of cruising altitude and out of radar. they don't believe the aircraft was targeted after it flew over an area destabilized by continuing armed conflict. russia has declared a day of mourning to show solidarity with the victims and their families. for the friends and families of passengers it's been a day of tragic contradictions. there were initially told the plane went missing shortly after it took off. only a little later a senior egyptian aviat

petersburg airport. and bring us up to date with the late is on the investigation, because it's hoped that those black boxes will provide some answers. >> answers are needed. the three aircraft arrived in cairo and have gone out to the crash side. the debris field is huge. it's 30 square kilometres, that suggests something dramatic happened to the aircraft, and we know there was no warning from the flight deck. you can draw conclusions from that. 153 bodies have been discovered. they were preparing to remove them and fly them back for here, to petersburg during the night. and they'll be taken to a local mortuary. the cockpit of the plane is in good condition regarding what had happened, and the flight boxes that have been recovered. virtually intact, with little damage. but the fallout from the crash continues. emirate airlines is the latest airline to refuse to fly. not to fly over sinai, they are joining air france and lufthansa in that decision that was made yesterday. >> russia, of course, a country

petersburg, russia, claiming the life of 224 people.ane carrying the remains of 162 victims will land in russia. it's the first plane to bring home remains to the heartbroken families. >>> also, look at this image of this little girl. this

petersburg. mourners laid flowers at a shrine for the dead. peter sharp is in st. petersburg. >> the three aircraft filled with air crash investigators that left st. petersburg arrived in cairo, and the teams are now at the scene of crash and the debris is huge, stretching 30 square kilometres, so the plane must have broken up considerably in its dissent. one of the pieces intact was the flight deck and the cockpit, meaning the black boxes were recovered and they are virtually intact, and will be opened in the next few hours in the hopes of coming to a conclusion about exactly what happened to that aircraft. this could go on for some time, but the fall out continues. emirates airlines is the latest to suspend flight over sinai and if joins lufthansa and air france that made the same decision yesterday, until the results of how that flight are known >>> a new coalition of opposition armed groups launched an offensive against i.s.i.l. in nearby syria. a group of forces is backed by the united states. this angered other fighters, worried the kurds have other ambitions

petersburg. >> the three aircraft filled with air crash investigators that left petersburg yesterday arrived i understand cairo and the teams are now out at the scene of the crash and the debris field is just huge. it stretches 30 square clem torse. the plane must have broken up considerably in its descent. one of the piece that is remained most intact was the actual flight deck and the cockpit, which means that the block boxes were recovered and they are virtually intact, and they will be opened in the next few hours as they hope to come to some conclusions about exactly what happened to that aircraft. this could go on for sometime. the fallout vince. emirates airlines are the latest to suspend flights over sinai and it joins lufthansa and air france that made the same decision yesterday until the full results of exactly how that flight came down are finally known. >>> jail soldiers shot dead a palestinian man in the occupied west bank. the israeli army say he attempted to stab a soldier during confrontation northeast of hebron. 71 palestinians and nine israelis have been killed sin

petersburg, russia. are saying the plane's fuselage disintegrated in mid air scattering debris across eight miles across the sinai peninsula. the cause of the crash is unknown. was it a technical issue with the 18-year-old airbus? and in a news conference, the maintenance of the plane was up to date and the only issue was the external issue on the plane. that brings up the possibility of a terror attack. let's bring in cnn's ian lee live in cairo. ian, it is stunning to hear the acknowledgment from the folks from the airline company that this could have been a terror attack on the plane. >> reporter: that's right. there have been so many contradicting pieces of information out. the egyptian officials so far place this on a mechanical issue. then we just heard from metrojet official saying they reject technical issues that could have happened to the plane. also as you said, that if the plane disintegrated over the sinai, like russian officials said, it had to be an external force. it raises the question o

petersburg the awful task of identifying the dead continues.amily and relations are taken by car to the mortuary, where they will have their dna matched with the bodies there. it's an appalling task. and when you think that there are 224 crew and passengers killed in this disaster, and they have only formally identified just ten people, so it's going to be a very long process. putin's press secretary has warned the media against trying to link the disaster with syria's -- with russia's operations in syria. he said this is most inappropriate, he said. >>> iran yoon media is reporting that a colonel from the country's elite revolutionary guard has been killed in syria. he died during fighting in aleppo. at least 14 iranian military personnel have been killed in syria since the end of september. tehran denies that it is sending combat troops into the country. >>> u.s. president barack obama has defended his decision to send special forces into syria. he said troops would be worked a as visors and trainers. >> we have run special ops already, and r

petersburg cathedral to remember those killed in the crash. and malala yousafzai - trying to give girls a better education. >>> millions of people have taken part in myanmar's first openly contested election in decades. the leader of myanmar's democracy movement and former political prisoner aung san suy kyi kissed her ballot paper before she voted. there are queues around the country. al jazeera has several teams in myanmar. wayne hay is there, in a state where many are not allowed to take part in the election. florence louie is where aung san suy kyi cast her vote, on the out skirts, and scott heidler. tell us how voting went today, and about the turn outs. >> it was a very good turn out according to those in the election commission. an official told the a.f.p. newsagency that there was an 80% turn out. officials where we are told us there was 60%. there were lines out the door at the elementary school. they lined up at 4:00am, the polling started at 6:00am. it was an historic day. it seems like there was an enthusiastic population that came

petersburg, russia. thank you so much for your reporting there. >>> for a little more background about the plane itself, here are details for you. it's an airbus a 321-200. that's the largest member of the airbus twin-engine a-320 family. it can seat up to 240 passengers. it was put into service in 2012. this particular jet had 56,000 flight hours and made nearly 21,000 flights. >>> at least 15 people are dead after an attack at a hotel in somalia. the victims include a parliament arian and a retired general. it was at a popular hotel in mogadishu. after setting off a series of explosions, including a suicide car bomb at the gate. let's turn to robert creole following developments in kenya. one thing we want to understand, al shabab claimed responsibility for the attack and targeting high-profile individuals. what more can you tell us? >> yes. there is typical al shabab. however, new tactics seen in this attack. usually, they do ram a suicide vehicle into a gate and the gunman storms the target. what hap

petersburg came down in the sinai peninsula last weekend.t is reported that have said that a notice heard in the final seconds of the cockpit recording indicates an explosion caused by a bomb. a group affiliated with isil said it caused the crash. thousands of russian tourists have been evacuate from sharm el-sheikh after moscow suspended all flights on friday. >> a memorial service has been held in st. petersburg where most of the 224 victim in the crash came from. ♪ >> 224 chimes for 224 lives, ended suddenly and violently. the somber sound of a tolling bell was the combination of a service held in one of the largest cathedrals. according to tradition, nine days later a memorial is held, more than a week since the jet was destroyed over sinai and we're waiting for a conclusive explanation of how and why. western governments think it was probably a bomb. isil said it destroyed the plane as a revenge for russian's air campaign in syria. russians have a are a invite of views. >> we can only judge by what we're told. if you want to know what i

petersburg when it came down, killing all 224 on board.escue teams are still combing the desert for more remains. as victoria gatenby reports. >> reporter: wreckage from the airbus a321 was strewn over more than 3 kilometers of desert. this footage is being used to help establish why the plane crashed in the sinai peninsula. for days investigators have been searching the area. they didn't find any bodies on tuesday, but they did discover personal items, a reminder that many victims were flying home from a holiday. the plane was operated by the russian airline metro jet. 23 minutes after takeoff it suddenly dissended and disappeared from radar. u.s. satellite imagery detected heat around the plane before the crash. the ministry says it didn't receive a distress call from the pilot. experts from several countries are investigating the crash, representatives from ireland where the plane was registered are also involved. they are now focused on the black box recorders. across russia, people are remembering the 224 killed. in st. petersburg mou

a shrine for the 224 victims is being built in saint petersburg where the airbus was due to land.ers in turkey are at the polls for the second time in five months. the prime minister has cast his p ballot. the election was called after his ak party failed to form a coalition government following the election in june. south korea has been hosting the first trilateral summit with china and japan in three and a half years. the leaders agreed to set aside their differences and cooperate on trade and security. the relationship between the three nations has been marred by territoryial disputes from the second world war. here is our correspondent harry fawcett in seoul. >> reporter: so these first trilateral talks in three and a half years have now been concluded. there was a news conference afterwards no, questions asked. so not much of a news conference but it was an opportunity for the three leaders to put forward their messages and there was a fair degree of commonality in the language that they used. a lot of talk about peace and prosperity and statemebility an also accelerating pla

petersburg when it came down, killing all 224 on board. me to discuss this story a little bit more is al jazeera's neave barker. neave what are we hearing from downing street at this hour? >> reporter: well, the information is that all flights going from the u.k. to the popular tourist destination on the red sea, have been suspended. the british government say they are sending investigators to the airport. we don't exactly know why -- the reasons behind why that decision were made. but the british prime minister david cameron is holding a high-level security meeting with the cobra group, which is the highest security group of senior ministers in the u.k. that can be organized or held at any moment in time. we gather also that, according to downing street, they cannot as yet say categorically why the russian jet crashed last weekend. they clearly have some information, and they are clearly working on building a bigger picture of what potential security risk there is behind the scenes. but the egyptian leader is here in the u.k. at the momen

petersburg, where most of the victims of the crash were from. rory challands reports. >>> 224 chimes for 224 lives ended suddenly and violencely. the sombre sound of a tolling bell, the culmination of a service held and a christian world's largest cathedrals since isaac. according to russian orthodox tradition a memorial to the dead is hold on the ninth day. it's more than a week since the metro jet plane was destroyed. and we are waiting for a conclusive explanation as to how and why. western governments thing it was a bomb. >> translation: i think it's a plane to blame, it's a technical error. there has been many versions. i'm inclined to thing it was a wom. >> reporter: the kremlin says we shouldn't jump to conclusions. all russian flights were suspended on friday. a precaution, tourists started to arrive back in their home country this weekend. if an i.s.i.l. bomb is proven to be what destroyed the jet. don't expect a backlash against russia's foreign policies, vladimir putin's power has been marked by several attacks and tragedies. the resp