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French plane lost over Atlantic French plane lost over Atlantic
(40 minutes later)
An Air France plane carrying 228 people from Brazil's Rio de Janeiro to France has gone missing over the Atlantic. An Air France plane carrying 228 people from Brazil to France has vanished over the Atlantic after a possible lightning strike, airline officials say.
Air France said the plane sent an automatic message at 0214 GMT reporting a short circuit after turbulence, and may have been struck by lightning. The Airbus sent an automatic message at 0214 GMT, four hours after leaving Rio de Janeiro, reporting a short circuit as it flew through strong turbulence.
Brazil's air force said a search and rescue mission was under way near the island of Fernando de Noronha. It was well over the ocean when it was lost, making Brazilian and French search planes' task more difficult.
It added that the plane was well across the Atlantic when it disappeared, and the search had to cover a wide area. Charles de Gaulle airport in Paris has set up a crisis centre.
France has also sent out several reconnaissance aircraft. The black box will be at the bottom of the sea Douglas Ferreira Machado chief Brazilian air accident investigator
French minister Jean-Louis Borloo said the plane had probably had an accident and ruled out hijacking. "The plane might have been struck by lightning - it's a possibility," Francois Brousse, head of communications at Air France, told reporters in Paris.
An airport official told AFP the Airbus 330-200 had been expected to arrive in Paris at 1110 local time (0910 GMT). France's minister responsible for transportation, Jean-Louis Borloo, ruled out hijacking as a cause of the plane's loss.
Crisis centre 'Long search'
Mr Borloo, the minister in charge of transport, said the plane would already have run out of fuel.
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 0130 GMTMissed scheduled landing at 1110 local time (0910 GMT) in Paris Air disasters timeline
"By now it would be beyond its kerosene reserves so unfortunately we must now envisage the most tragic scenario," he said, quoted by Reuters news agency.
"Nothing on Spanish radar, nothing on Moroccan radar, nothing on French radar - we seriously have to fear the worst."
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. The passengers included one infant, seven children, 82 women and 126 men.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. The passengers included one infant, seven children, 82 women and 126 men.
An Air France spokeswoman said there had been no radio contact with the plane "for a while". Air France's Pierre Henri Gourgeon describes the sequence of events in Paris
The Airbus 330-200 had been expected to arrive in Paris at 1110 local time (0910 GMT).
It is reported to have disappeared 300km (186 miles) north-east of the Brazilian city of Natal.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 not been 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 not been picked up by radar on the Cape Verde Islands on its way across the Atlantic, and confirmed that Brazilian air force planes had left Fernando de Noronha to search for the missing airliner.
"Air force planes left Fernando de Noronha and are flying towards Europe to start the search for the missing plane," he said. Mr Borloo said the plane would already have run out of fuel.
Airport authorities have set up a crisis centre at Charles de Gaulle. "Nothing on Spanish radar, nothing on Moroccan radar, nothing on French radar - we seriously have to fear the worst," he added.
Douglas Ferreira Machado, head of investigation and accident prevention for Brazil's Civil Aeronautics Agency, said the search would take "a long time".
"It could be a long, sad story," he told Brazil's Globo news. "The black box will be at the bottom of the sea."
An Air France spokeswoman said there had been no radio contact with the plane "for a while".
Crisis centre
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.
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 0130 GMTMissed scheduled landing at 1110 local time (0910 GMT) in Paris Air disasters timeline
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 incident in Brazilian air space since a Tam flight crashed in Sao Paulo in July 2007 killing 199 people.This is the first major incident in Brazilian air space since a Tam flight crashed in Sao Paulo in July 2007 killing 199 people.
Air France has opened a telephone hotline for friends and relatives of people on the plane - 00 33 157021055 for callers outside France and 0800 800812 for inside France.Air France has opened a telephone hotline for friends and relatives of people on the plane - 00 33 157021055 for callers outside France and 0800 800812 for inside France.
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