Cairo: The Russian aircraft disintegrated in midair before it crashed over Egypt's Sinai Peninsula on Saturday, state-run Ahram newspaper reported on Sunday.

Ahram said an official with Russia's Interstate Aviation Committee said in an interview with Russian RIA-Novosti news agency that the disintegration happened in the air and the fragments are strewn over a large area. Russian Chief of invitation panel Viktor Sorochenko said it was too early to determine the cause of the tragic accident.