Russian plane crash: Hotel staff questioned in Egypt

The Airbus A321 bound for St Petersberg crashed 23 minutes after leaving Sharm el-Sheikh on October 31, killing all 224 people on board. Photo / AP

Hotel workers in Egypt are being questioned by investigators over the Russian passenger plane that crashed in Egypt's Sinai desert.

According to The Telegraph, the investigation of hotel staff in Sharm el-Sheikh is to determine if one of them planted a bomb inside a passenger's luggage before they boarded the plane.

Police are checking the backgrounds of those who work in the hotels where crash victims stayed.

The Airbus A321 bound for St Petersberg crashed 23 minutes after leaving Sharm el-Sheikh on October 31, killing all 224 people on board.

The Airbus A321 bound for St Petersberg crashed 23 minutes after leaving Sharm el-Sheikh on October 31, killing all 224 people on board. Photo / AP

With an increasing number of reports indicating the crash was caused by a terrorist attack, the search for the culprit is expanding.

Interrogations of Sharm el-Sheikh airport staff have failed to turn over any breakthroughs.

A team of security experts from the UK visited the airport last week became concerned after finding poor lighting in one corner of the airport, as well as a guard playing on his phone instead of monitoring an x-ray machine.

An urgent request for more CCTV cameras at the airport has been made by local police, as well as a 24-hour monitoring room.

- nzherald.co.nz