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| Plane searchers spot ocean debris | Plane searchers spot ocean debris |
| (30 minutes later) | |
| Brazilian aircraft searching for an Air France jet which went missing with 228 people aboard in an Atlantic storm have spotted debris on the ocean. | Brazilian aircraft searching for an Air France jet which went missing with 228 people aboard in an Atlantic storm have spotted debris on the ocean. |
| Plane seats and other items were sighted 650km (400 miles) north-east of Brazil's Fernando do Noronha island, the Brazilian air force said. | Plane seats and other items were sighted 650km (400 miles) north-east of Brazil's Fernando do Noronha island, the Brazilian air force said. |
| It could not be immediately confirmed that the debris came from the Airbus. | It could not be immediately confirmed that the debris came from the Airbus. |
| The jet was heading from Brazil to Paris when it vanished about four hours into its flight, early on Monday. | The jet was heading from Brazil to Paris when it vanished about four hours into its flight, early on Monday. |
| Air Force spokesman Col Jorge Amaral said the seats had been spotted by search planes early on Tuesday. | |
| There were also small white pieces of debris, material that may be metallic and signs of oil and kerosene, which is used as jet fuel. | |
| "The search is continuing because it's very little material in relation to the size [of the Airbus A330],"Col Amaral added. | |
| Officials, he said, needed "a piece that might have a serial number, some sort of identification" to be sure it came from the missing jet. | Officials, he said, needed "a piece that might have a serial number, some sort of identification" to be sure it came from the missing jet. |
| French Defence Minister Herve Morin has stressed there is still "no evidence whatsoever" as to the cause of the plane's loss | French Defence Minister Herve Morin has stressed there is still "no evidence whatsoever" as to the cause of the plane's loss |
| "We cannot, by definition, exclude a terrorist attack, because terrorism is the main threat for all Western democracies," he added. | "We cannot, by definition, exclude a terrorist attack, because terrorism is the main threat for all Western democracies," he added. |
| 'Life jacket' | |
| Plane crews from Brazil, France and other countries had narrowed their search to a zone half-way between Brazil and west Africa, hoping to pick up signals from the Airbus's beacons. | |
| Col Amaral was quoted by the Associated Press as saying a life jacket had been spotted amid the debris. | |
| "The locations where the objects were found are towards the right of the point where the last signal of the plane was emitted," he told reporters in Rio. | |
| "That suggests that it might have tried to make a turn, maybe to return to Fernando de Noronha, but that is just a hypothesis." | |
| Searchers now planned to focus their efforts on collecting the debris and trying to identify it, he said. | |
| "The command centre needs to have at least one piece of the debris with a serial number to confirm that it belongs to the airplane," the air force spokesman added. | |
| In his last radio message, at about 0200 GMT on Monday, the captain of Flight AF 447 reported entering turbulence, French media say. | In his last radio message, at about 0200 GMT on Monday, the captain of Flight AF 447 reported entering turbulence, French media say. |
| Up to a dozen reports of electrical failures were sent automatically from the plane before it vanished over the ocean just after. | Up to a dozen reports of electrical failures were sent automatically from the plane before it vanished over the ocean just after. |
| Most of the missing people are Brazilian or French but they include a total of 32 nationalities. Five Britons and three Irish citizens are among them. | Most of the missing people are Brazilian or French but they include a total of 32 nationalities. Five Britons and three Irish citizens are among them. |
| Crisis centres have been set up at Charles de Gaulle airport in Paris and Rio's Tom Jobim international airport. | Crisis centres have been set up at Charles de Gaulle airport in Paris and Rio's Tom Jobim international airport. |
| One of the Brazilians on board was Pedro Luis de Orleans e Braganca, a direct descendent of the last Brazilian emperior, Dom Pedro II, a spokesman for the family said. | |
| FLIGHT AF 447 1. 2200 GMT, 31 May: AF 447 leaves Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, bound for Paris2. 0133 GMT, 1 June: Last radio contact with AF 4473. 0148 GMT: Plane leaves radar surveillance zone off islands of Fernando de Noronha and enters band of stormy weather4. 0214 GMT: Series of automated messages sent from AF 447 indicating electrical fault5. 0220 GMT: AF 477 due to arrive in Senegal airspace but no contact received | |
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