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| French Soldiers Reach Air Algérie Crash Site | French Soldiers Reach Air Algérie Crash Site |
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| PARIS — As a detachment of French soldiers reached the crash site of an Air Algérie jetliner in Mali, officials in Paris said on Friday that the accident was most likely weather-related and that the distribution of the wreckage over a limited area suggested that the plane probably hit the ground intact. | |
| “We rule out — and have from the start — any ground strike,” Frédéric Cuvillier, the French junior minister for transport, told France 2 television on Friday. President François Hollande of France said that the “black box” data recorder had been found at the crash site and confirmed that there were no survivors. | “We rule out — and have from the start — any ground strike,” Frédéric Cuvillier, the French junior minister for transport, told France 2 television on Friday. President François Hollande of France said that the “black box” data recorder had been found at the crash site and confirmed that there were no survivors. |
| Speaking to reporters on Friday, Mr. Hollande said that the number of people who died in the crash was 118, two more than the government and airline officials said on Thursday. | Speaking to reporters on Friday, Mr. Hollande said that the number of people who died in the crash was 118, two more than the government and airline officials said on Thursday. |
| Laurent Fabius, the French foreign minister, said that verification of the passenger manifest overnight had confirmed that there had been 112 passengers and six crew members on board. The number of French victims was also revised, to 54 from 51, including several dual nationals, Mr. Fabius said. | Laurent Fabius, the French foreign minister, said that verification of the passenger manifest overnight had confirmed that there had been 112 passengers and six crew members on board. The number of French victims was also revised, to 54 from 51, including several dual nationals, Mr. Fabius said. |
| Mr. Hollande said he spoke by telephone on Friday with Mali’s president, Ibrahim Boubacar Keita, and offered France’s full cooperation with the investigation as well as the repatriation of the victims’ bodies. | Mr. Hollande said he spoke by telephone on Friday with Mali’s president, Ibrahim Boubacar Keita, and offered France’s full cooperation with the investigation as well as the repatriation of the victims’ bodies. |
| Following international rules, Mali will lead the investigation into the cause of the accident. But Mr. Fabius said that experts from the French Bureau of Investigation and Analysis were expected to arrive in Mali on Saturday and would assume a significant role in the inquiry. | Following international rules, Mali will lead the investigation into the cause of the accident. But Mr. Fabius said that experts from the French Bureau of Investigation and Analysis were expected to arrive in Mali on Saturday and would assume a significant role in the inquiry. |
| The wreckage of Flight 5017 was found by an international search team just before nightfall on Thursday in an isolated area, about 60 miles south of the town of Gao in eastern Mali. Soldiers from Burkina Faso, who were the first to arrive on the scene, said they had found several bodies among the burned-out hull of the plane, a Boeing MD-83. | The wreckage of Flight 5017 was found by an international search team just before nightfall on Thursday in an isolated area, about 60 miles south of the town of Gao in eastern Mali. Soldiers from Burkina Faso, who were the first to arrive on the scene, said they had found several bodies among the burned-out hull of the plane, a Boeing MD-83. |
| “We think the aircraft crashed for reasons linked to the weather conditions,” Bernard Cazeneuve, the French interior minister, said in an interview on the French radio station RTL. | “We think the aircraft crashed for reasons linked to the weather conditions,” Bernard Cazeneuve, the French interior minister, said in an interview on the French radio station RTL. |
| Gen. Gilbert Diendéré, chief of the Burkina Faso general staff, said on local television that troops had discovered the remains of the plane “totally burned out and scattered on the ground.” Video taken at the crash site by soldiers from Burkina Faso, and broadcast on French television Friday morning, showed the plane’s charred, fragmentary remains scattered over a broad area of muddy terrain. | Gen. Gilbert Diendéré, chief of the Burkina Faso general staff, said on local television that troops had discovered the remains of the plane “totally burned out and scattered on the ground.” Video taken at the crash site by soldiers from Burkina Faso, and broadcast on French television Friday morning, showed the plane’s charred, fragmentary remains scattered over a broad area of muddy terrain. |
| A French Defense Ministry spokesman said the wreckage had been found by a Reaper surveillance drone operated by the French military based on information provided by the authorities in Burkina Faso. | A French Defense Ministry spokesman said the wreckage had been found by a Reaper surveillance drone operated by the French military based on information provided by the authorities in Burkina Faso. |
| Roughly 100 French troops and 30 vehicles left Gao for the crash site early on Friday, said the French defense minister, Jean-Yves Le Drian. | Roughly 100 French troops and 30 vehicles left Gao for the crash site early on Friday, said the French defense minister, Jean-Yves Le Drian. |
| French officials noted that the site was extremely remote, about a three-hour drive from Gao. | French officials noted that the site was extremely remote, about a three-hour drive from Gao. |
| “It must be recognized that the physical conditions on the ground complicate the search,” Mr. Fabius, the foreign minister, said. “Our intention is to bring the bodies to Gao as quickly as possible.” He said initial identification of the victims would have to take place on site before the remains could be repatriated. | “It must be recognized that the physical conditions on the ground complicate the search,” Mr. Fabius, the foreign minister, said. “Our intention is to bring the bodies to Gao as quickly as possible.” He said initial identification of the victims would have to take place on site before the remains could be repatriated. |
| Mr. Fabius said that “there were powerful storms active in the region” at the time the plane lost radio contact with air traffic controllers. | Mr. Fabius said that “there were powerful storms active in the region” at the time the plane lost radio contact with air traffic controllers. |
| The plane took off early Thursday from Ouagadougou, the capital of Burkina Faso, on a flight to Algiers. The Burkina Faso government said that the aircraft’s last contact with ground control came a few minutes after it had passed northward out of the country’s air space. It said the crew later contacted air traffic controllers in Niamey, Niger, to say that the plane had encountered storms. Swiftair, the Spanish company that owned the plane, confirmed that all six crew members were Spanish citizens. Government sources said the passengers came from 14 countries, with France having the highest number of citizens aboard. Burkina Faso said 28 of its nationals were on board. | The plane took off early Thursday from Ouagadougou, the capital of Burkina Faso, on a flight to Algiers. The Burkina Faso government said that the aircraft’s last contact with ground control came a few minutes after it had passed northward out of the country’s air space. It said the crew later contacted air traffic controllers in Niamey, Niger, to say that the plane had encountered storms. Swiftair, the Spanish company that owned the plane, confirmed that all six crew members were Spanish citizens. Government sources said the passengers came from 14 countries, with France having the highest number of citizens aboard. Burkina Faso said 28 of its nationals were on board. |
| Details about some of the French victims began to emerge in local news media reports. One family in eastern France appeared to have 10 members aboard Flight 5017, said a spokesman for the prefecture of the Rhône-Alpes department, Agence France-Presse reported. | Details about some of the French victims began to emerge in local news media reports. One family in eastern France appeared to have 10 members aboard Flight 5017, said a spokesman for the prefecture of the Rhône-Alpes department, Agence France-Presse reported. |
| The crash comes at a time when the aviation industry is already reeling from the downing of Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 over eastern Ukraine last week, the crash of TransAsia Airways Flight 222 in Taiwan on Wednesday and the suspension of flights to and from Tel Aviv this week because of rocket fire from Gaza. | The crash comes at a time when the aviation industry is already reeling from the downing of Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 over eastern Ukraine last week, the crash of TransAsia Airways Flight 222 in Taiwan on Wednesday and the suspension of flights to and from Tel Aviv this week because of rocket fire from Gaza. |
| France, which was once a colonial power in the region, led an international effort last year to expel Islamist militants from towns in northern Mali that were overrun by Al Qaeda’s North African affiliate in 2012. The militants left behind stacks of manuals explaining how to use SA-7a and SA-7b shoulder-fired antiaircraft missiles, which can shoot down an airliner flying low for takeoff or landing. But those militants are not known to possess heavier weapons that could strike an aircraft at cruising altitude. | France, which was once a colonial power in the region, led an international effort last year to expel Islamist militants from towns in northern Mali that were overrun by Al Qaeda’s North African affiliate in 2012. The militants left behind stacks of manuals explaining how to use SA-7a and SA-7b shoulder-fired antiaircraft missiles, which can shoot down an airliner flying low for takeoff or landing. But those militants are not known to possess heavier weapons that could strike an aircraft at cruising altitude. |