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| French plane lost over Atlantic | French plane lost over Atlantic |
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| An Air France plane carrying at least 228 people from Brazil to France has gone missing over the Atlantic. | An Air France plane carrying at least 228 people from Brazil to France has gone missing over the Atlantic. |
| Paris Charles de Gaulle airport says contact was lost with the flight from Rio de Janeiro early in the morning. | |
| Brazil's air force confirmed the plane was missing and said a search and rescue mission was under way near the island of Fernando de Noronha. | Brazil's air force confirmed the plane was missing and said a search and rescue mission was under way near the island of Fernando de Noronha. |
| An airport official told AFP the Airbus 330-200 had been expected to arrive in Paris at 1110 local time (0910 GMT). | An airport official told AFP the Airbus 330-200 had been expected to arrive in Paris at 1110 local time (0910 GMT). |
| Another official said it was possible that the plane had a transponder problem but this was very rare. | Another official said it was possible that the plane had a transponder problem but this was very rare. |
| "We are very worried," he said, quoted by AFP news agency. | "We are very worried," he said, quoted by AFP news agency. |
| Crisis centre | |
| Flight AF 447 left Rio at 1900 local time (2200 GMT) on Sunday. It had 216 passengers and 12 crew on board, including three pilots. | |
| An Air France spokeswoman said there had been no radio contact with the plane "for a while". | An Air France spokeswoman said there had been no radio contact with the plane "for a while". |
| TIMELINE Flight AF 447 left Rio at 1900 local time (2200 GMT) on SundayAirbus A330-200 carrying 216 passengers and at least 12 crewContact lost at 0600 GMTMissed scheduled landing at 1110 local time (0910 GMT) in Paris Air disasters timeline | |
| It is reported to have disappeared 300km (186 miles) north-east of the Brazilian city of Natal. | |
| Brazilian air force spokesman Col Henry Munhoz told Brazilian TV it had failed to be picked up by radar on the Cape Verde Islands on its way across the Atlantic. | Brazilian air force spokesman Col Henry Munhoz told Brazilian TV it had failed to be picked up by radar on the Cape Verde Islands on its way across the Atlantic. |
| "Air force planes left Fernando de Noronha and are flying towards Europe to start the search for the missing plane," he said. | |
| Airport authorities have set up a crisis centre at Charles de Gaulle. | Airport authorities have set up a crisis centre at Charles de Gaulle. |
| An Air France official told AFP that people awaiting the flight would be received in a special area at the airport's second terminal. | An Air France official told AFP that people awaiting the flight would be received in a special area at the airport's second terminal. |
| French President Nicolas Sarkozy has been informed of the incident and has expressed his deep concern, his office said. | French President Nicolas Sarkozy has been informed of the incident and has expressed his deep concern, his office said. |
| He has demanded that the relevant authorities do everything they can to find the plane and "shed light on the circumstances surrounding its disappearance as rapidly as possible". | He has demanded that the relevant authorities do everything they can to find the plane and "shed light on the circumstances surrounding its disappearance as rapidly as possible". |
| This is the first major accident in Brazilian air space since a Tam flight crashed in Sao Paulo in July 2007 killing 199 people. | |
| Have you been affected by this story? Have you got friends or relatives on the flight? Send us your comments using the form below. | Have you been affected by this story? Have you got friends or relatives on the flight? Send us your comments using the form below. |
| The BBC may edit your comments and not all emails will be published. Your comments may be published on any BBC media worldwide. Terms & Conditions | The BBC may edit your comments and not all emails will be published. Your comments may be published on any BBC media worldwide. Terms & Conditions |