The co-pilot of the Russian airliner that crashed in Egypt - killing 224 people - complained about its “technical condition” before take-off, his wife has said.

Natalya Trukhacheva, wife of co-pilot Sergei Trukachev, told Russian state-controlled NTV: “He complained before the flight that the technical condition of the aircraft left much to be desired.”

An Egyptian government official said that before the plane lost contact with air traffic controllers on Saturday morning, the pilot radioed in to report technical problems and said he would try and land at the nearest airport.

bbabo.Net