The head of the Investigations Committee, Captain Ayman Mokadem, said the nature of debris scatter suggests an in-flight break up, but it is still too early to draw conclusions on the causes of the crash. While both flight data recorders have been found, the investigators are still studying them.

Mokadem confirmed that some “noise” can be heard on the recording right before the crash. He still said its nature is unclear and a spectral analysis will be carried out to identify it.

According to the flight data recorders, the incident occurred 23 minutes and 14 seconds after takeoff at an altitude of 30,888 feet in climbing mode, at a speed of 281 knots-autopilot engaged, he said.

The investigators have listened to the audio from the cockpit voice recorder and are currently in the phase of writing the transcript, he added.

Access to the crash site has been impeded by bad weather since Tuesday, he said. An investigation team consisting of 58 experts plan to return to the site as soon as weather conditions improve in the next few days.

The investigation has established that the pattern of the debris scattered over a wide area of more than 13 kilometers, while not all parts of the plane have yet been found, he added.

An international team of investigators are at the scene still “collecting information,” he said.

Initial observations do not yet allow the identification of the origin of the break up, Mokadem said.

"We did not reach until this moment any conclusions,” he said.

With no official statements made on the cause of the crash, there has been media speculation that a bomb explosion on board downed the aircraft. On Friday, several French media cited unnamed officials allegedly close to the investigation as saying that that a sound similar to that of an explosion could be heard on the recording.

E/S1