Cairo, Muharram 19, 1437, Nov 1, 2015, SPA -- The Russian passenger plane that crashed in Egypt's Sinai Peninsula, killing all 224 people on board, broke apart in mid-flight, the chief of Russia's Interstate Aviation Committee said on Sunday, according to dpa. "It is too early to speak about the crash causes," Viktor Sorochenko told journalists after examining the site of the wreckage, according to the TASS news agency. "The plane broke down in mid-air and its fragments are scattered over a vast area of about 20 square kilometres," he said. Egyptian, Russian and French experts have begun a joint investigation at the crash site in Sinai's remote desert interior. -- SPA 20:39 LOCAL TIME 17:39 GMT www.spa.gov.sa/w