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EgyptAir crash: 'Debris found' from flight MS804 | EgyptAir crash: 'Debris found' from flight MS804 |
(35 minutes later) | |
Egypt's military and national airline say debris from the crashed EgyptAir flight has been recovered in the Mediterranean. | Egypt's military and national airline say debris from the crashed EgyptAir flight has been recovered in the Mediterranean. |
Flight MS804 was en route from Paris to Cairo with 66 passengers and crew when it vanished early on Thursday. | Flight MS804 was en route from Paris to Cairo with 66 passengers and crew when it vanished early on Thursday. |
Egypt's army spokesman said wreckage and passenger belongings were found 290km (180 miles) from Alexandria. | |
In a statement, President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi spoke of his "utmost sadness and regret" at the crash. | |
EgyptAir also confirmed the discovery on its Twitter feed. | |
Greek, Egyptian, French and UK military units have been taking part in a search operation near Greece's Karpathos island. | Greek, Egyptian, French and UK military units have been taking part in a search operation near Greece's Karpathos island. |
Greece said radar showed the Airbus A320 had made two sharp turns and dropped more than 25,000ft (7,620m) before plunging into the sea. | Greece said radar showed the Airbus A320 had made two sharp turns and dropped more than 25,000ft (7,620m) before plunging into the sea. |
Egypt says the plane was more likely to have been brought down by a terrorist act than a technical fault. | Egypt says the plane was more likely to have been brought down by a terrorist act than a technical fault. |
Most of the people on board Flight MS804 were from Egypt and France. A Briton was also among the passengers. | Most of the people on board Flight MS804 were from Egypt and France. A Briton was also among the passengers. |
Initial reports late on Thursday, based on Egyptian officials' comments that wreckage had been found, later proved unfounded and were dismissed by Greek officials. | Initial reports late on Thursday, based on Egyptian officials' comments that wreckage had been found, later proved unfounded and were dismissed by Greek officials. |
Greece has not yet commented on the latest discovery. | Greece has not yet commented on the latest discovery. |
The focus of the investigation | |
So far, there has been "absolutely no indication" as to why the plane came down, French Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault said on Friday morning. | So far, there has been "absolutely no indication" as to why the plane came down, French Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault said on Friday morning. |
Three investigators from the French air accident investigation bureau, along with a technical adviser from Airbus, have joined the Egyptian inquiry. | Three investigators from the French air accident investigation bureau, along with a technical adviser from Airbus, have joined the Egyptian inquiry. |
In France, the focus is on whether a possible breach of security happened at Paris Charles de Gaulle airport. | |
After last November's Paris attacks, some airport staff had their security clearance revoked over fears of links to Islamic extremists. | |
Eric Moutet, a lawyer for some of those employees, told the BBC that there had been attempts by Islamists to recruit airport staff. | |
"That is clear. There are people who are being radicalised in some of the trade unions etc. The authorities have their work cut out with this problem," he said. | |
In October an Airbus A321 operated by Russia's Metrojet blew up over Egypt's Sinai Peninsula, killing all 224 people on board. Sinai Province, a local affiliate of the Islamic State jihadist group, said it had smuggled a bomb on board. | |
French President Francois Hollande said: "We will draw conclusions when we have the truth about what happened. | |
"Whether it was an accident, or whether it was - and it's something that is on our minds - terrorism." | |
What do we know happened? | |
Flight MS804 left Paris at 23:09 local time on Wednesday (21:09 GMT) and was scheduled to arrive in the Egyptian capital soon after 03:15 local time (01:15 GMT) on Thursday. | |
On the plane were 56 passengers, seven crew members and three security personnel. | |
Greek aviation officials say air traffic controllers spoke to the pilot when he entered Greek airspace and everything appeared normal. | |
They tried to contact him again at 02:27 Cairo time, as the plane was set to enter Egyptian airspace, but "despite repeated calls, the aircraft did not respond". Two minutes later it vanished from radar. | |
Greek Defence Minister Panos Kammenos told reporters: "The picture we have at the moment of the accident as it emerges from the Greek air force operations centre is that the aircraft was approximately 10-15 miles inside the Egyptian FIR [flight information region] and at an altitude of 37,000 feet. | |
"It turned 90 degrees left and then a 360-degree turn toward the right, dropping from 37,000 to 15,000 feet and then it was lost at about 10,000 feet." | |
Egyptian Aviation Minister Sherif Fathi said: "Let's not try to jump to the side that is trying to identify this as a technical failure - on the contrary. | |
"If you analyse the situation properly, the possibility of having a different action, or having a terror attack, is higher than the possibility of having a technical [fault]." | |
Aviation analyst Alex Macheras told the BBC that Airbus A320s were regularly used for short-haul budget flights and had "an amazing safety record". | |
Who were the victims? | |
The names of some of those who were on board have emerged over the past day, but most have not been identified publicly. | |
Those said to be on board include: | |
Read more on some of the MS804 victims here | |
If anyone is concerned about relatives or friends following the disappearance of the flight, they can call this free number provided by EgyptAir: +202 259 89320 |