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| Version 1 | Version 2 |
|---|---|
| Britons may be on lost plane - PM | Britons may be on lost plane - PM |
| (10 minutes later) | |
| Prime Minister Gordon Brown has said he fears British citizens may have been among 228 people on board a French jet which disappeared over the Atlantic. | Prime Minister Gordon Brown has said he fears British citizens may have been among 228 people on board a French jet which disappeared over the Atlantic. |
| Flight AF 447 left Rio de Janeiro in Brazil, bound for Paris, at 1900 local time (2200 GMT) on Sunday 31 May. | Flight AF 447 left Rio de Janeiro in Brazil, bound for Paris, at 1900 local time (2200 GMT) on Sunday 31 May. |
| The Airbus suffered a short circuit at 0214 GMT caused - Air France officials suspect - by a lightning strike. | The Airbus suffered a short circuit at 0214 GMT caused - Air France officials suspect - by a lightning strike. |
| The Foreign Office is "urgently looking into" whether Britons were aboard. The PM promised "all checking necessary". | The Foreign Office is "urgently looking into" whether Britons were aboard. The PM promised "all checking necessary". |
| "I do fear there may be some British citizens on board," Mr Brown told Sky News. | "I do fear there may be some British citizens on board," Mr Brown told Sky News. |
| "I have been in touch with the Foreign Office. There hasn't been contact with that plane for some time." | "I have been in touch with the Foreign Office. There hasn't been contact with that plane for some time." |
| The Brazilian Air Force is searching for the plane, which is reported to have disappeared 300km (186 miles) north-east of the Brazilian city of Natal. | The Brazilian Air Force is searching for the plane, which is reported to have disappeared 300km (186 miles) north-east of the Brazilian city of Natal. |
| It was well over the ocean when it disappeared, making search efforts more difficult. | |
| The Airbus 330-200, with a 12-strong crew and one baby and seven other children among the passengers, had been expected to arrive in Paris at 1110 local time (0910 GMT). | The Airbus 330-200, with a 12-strong crew and one baby and seven other children among the passengers, had been expected to arrive in Paris at 1110 local time (0910 GMT). |
| The French government has ruled out hijacking as a cause of the plane's loss. | |
| Air France has opened a telephone hotline for friends and relatives of people on the plane - 00 33 1570 21055 for callers outside France and 0800 800812 for inside France. |