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EgyptAir Flight 804 Debris Found, Egyptian Military Official Says EgyptAir Flight 804 Debris Found in Mediterranean
(about 2 hours later)
CAIRO — Debris from an EgyptAir plane that went down with at least 66 people on board was found on Friday in the Mediterranean Sea, the Egyptian military said. CAIRO — Egyptian naval vessels, part of an international search-and-rescue flotilla, discovered debris and personal belongings on Friday from an EgyptAir plane that went down with at least 66 people on board, raising fears of a terrorist attack, Egypt’s military said in a statement.
EgyptAir Flight 804, an Airbus A320 jetliner, disappeared from radar screens early Thursday morning as it was flying to Cairo from Paris, prompting a major search for the wreckage. The items, including human remains, two seats and one or more suitcases, as well as pieces of the plane, were recovered in the Mediterranean Sea about 180 miles north of Alexandria, Egypt, the Greek defense minister and an Egyptian military spokesman said.
An Egyptian Army spokesman, Brig. Gen. Mohammed Samir, said in a statement posted on his Facebook page on Friday that military planes and ships found “personal belongings of the passengers” and plane debris. At least six countries have joined in the search for the wreckage.
The wreckage was found 180 miles north of the city of Alexandria, according to General Samir. EgyptAir Flight 804, an Airbus A320 jetliner, disappeared from radar screens early Thursday morning as it was flying over the Mediterranean to Cairo from Paris. Before it vanished, the jetliner plunged from cruising altitude while swerving violently and flying in a circle, the Greek defense minister, Panos Kammenos, said in a news conference on Thursday.
“There is no doubt” that the debris is from the EgyptAir plane, he said. “There is no doubt” that the debris is from the EgyptAir plane, the Egyptian Army spokesman, Brig. Gen. Mohammed Samir, said in an interview on Friday.
EgyptAir said in a statement on Facebook that it had been informed of the discovery by the Egyptian military, adding that the search in the area is continuing. EgyptAir said in a statement on Facebook that it had been informed of the discovery by the Egyptian military, adding that the search in the area is continuing. The search for debris was mired in confusion on Thursday, after EgyptAir said that wreckage of the plane had been located but then retracted that statement hours later.
The search for debris was mired in confusion on Thursday, after EgyptAir said that wreckage of the plane had been located but then retracted that statement hours later. In a news conference in Athens on Friday, the Hellenic Civil Aviation Authority provided what a spokesman called a definitive timeline on the disaster. The agency reported that the flight was proceeding normally at 1:48 a.m. Cairo time, when Greek traffic controllers last spoke with the pilot, who seemed in good spirits.
Officials have suggested that terrorism was a more likely cause for the disappearance than mechanical failure, but others cautioned that it was premature to make that judgment. At 2:27 a.m., the controllers in Athens tried and failed repeatedly to reach the plane, to pass control and communications to Cairo as the plane approached Egyptian airspace. Even attempts on an emergency frequency failed.
President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi of Egypt expressed his condolences on Friday to the families of victims. In a statement issued by his office, Mr. Sisi “with utmost sadness and regret mourns the victims on aboard the EgyptAir flight who were killed.” At 2:29 a.m., the plane left Greek airspace, and at 2:29:40 a.m., Greek controllers lost the aircraft’s trace, just inside Egyptian airspace.
As the debris was found, more details began to emerge about the passengers on the flight. In Britain, the news media reported that the only Briton on the plane was Richard Osman, 40, a father of two from Wales, whose baby daughter had been born less than a month ago. Egypt’s minister of civil aviation, Sherif Fathi, said on Thursday that terrorism appeared a more likely cause for the disappearance than mechanical failure, but he cautioned that it was premature to make that judgment. Still, the admission that terrorism could be the cause stands in sharp contrast to earlier Egyptian air disasters, when officials resisted such a conclusion even in the face of overwhelming evidence.
At the same time, it seemed noteworthy that no militant group has yet claimed responsibility for bringing down the plane. In the past, groups like the Islamic State have been eager to take responsibility as a way to burnish their terrorist credentials and attract more followers.
Egypt was joined in the sea and air search effort by teams from Greece, Italy, France, Cyprus and Britain. In addition, French and British investigators and one expert from Airbus have joined a team of Egyptian investigators to inspect the airplane parts as they become available. Through that painstaking effort and the recovery of the plane’s flight recorders they hope to determine whether the plane fell victim to a terrorist act or to mechanical or human failure.
President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi of Egypt expressed his condolences on Friday to the families of victims. In a statement issued by his office, Mr. Sisi “with utmost sadness and regret mourns the victims on aboard the EgyptAir flight who were killed.”
As the debris was found, more details began to emerge about the passengers on the flight. In Britain, the news media reported that the only Briton on the plane was Richard Osman, 40, a father of two whose baby daughter had been born less than a month ago.
Alastair Osman told ITV News that his brother, described as a workaholic and fitness enthusiast, grew up in Wales and worked in the gold-mining industry. The son of an Egyptian doctor, he lived with his French-born wife in Jersey, an island in the English Channel.Alastair Osman told ITV News that his brother, described as a workaholic and fitness enthusiast, grew up in Wales and worked in the gold-mining industry. The son of an Egyptian doctor, he lived with his French-born wife in Jersey, an island in the English Channel.
Mr. Osman told the broadcaster that the family was preparing itself for the worst, including the possibility that the plane had been targeted by terrorists.
“This is the reality of ISIS and groups like that. It’s indiscriminate,” he told the broadcaster, referring to the Islamic State. “They don’t think any of these people have family members, or a past, or a history of hopes and dreams.”