The United States and United Kingdom on Wednesday said it was "highly possible" that a bomb brought down the Russian airliner that crashed with 224 people on board on Saturday. The Islamic State had, soon after, claimed responsibility for the crash in the Sinai Peninsula. The Guardian reported that the British government has ordered a moratorium on flights to and from the beach town of Sharm el-Sheikh, and warned against all but official travel to the area.A BBC report said that officials were working with airlines to bring back UK tourists from the resort town as soon as possible.

Officials told Reuters that intelligence reporting suggests terrorism, but warned that there was no conclusive evidence yet. Adam Schiff, a member of the US House of Representatives' permanent select committee on intelligence, said they were still trying to confirm what caused the accident. While an explosive seemed likely, it was also possible that there was a structural problem with the plane, he added.

While Egypt and Russia have voiced doubts about ISIS involvement, on Wednesday, the militant group, in an online audio statement, claimed once again that they had brought down the aircraft, This has been Russia’s worst ever air crash, with President Vladimir Putin calling it a “huge tragedy”.