The death toll from the New York jet crash today rose to at least 265 as investigators began studying the wreckage of the plane.

Investigators were last night studying the wreckage of a packed passenger jet to find out why it crashed into a New York neighbourhood with the feared loss of over 250 lives.

A US official said intelligence agencies, the FBI and the Federal Aviation Administration were reviewing all recent intelligence for any signs that terrorism was involved, but an hour after the crash there was no evidence pointing to an attack.