EgyptAir confirms floating objects found near Karpathos Island as plane wreckage

Thursday 19-05-2016 PM 07:57
EgyptAir confirms floating objects found near Karpathos Island as plane wreckage

EgyptAir plane, REUTERS

CAIRO, May 19 (Aswat Masriya) – Egypt's civil aviation ministry received an official letter from the foreign ministry confirming the finding of wreckage of the missing aircraft near Karpathos Island in the Mediterranean, EgyptAir stated in its latest press release.  

Floating objects "likely" belonging to the plane including life jackets and plastic products were also found by the Greek authorities, the EgyptAir official added.

The flight, MS804, disappeared off the radar as it was crossing the Mediterranean at 2:45 AM Cairo time en route from Paris to Cairo, EgyptAir said early Thursday morning. 

EgyptAir expressed its "deepest sorrow" to the families and friends of the passengers onboard flight MS804.

The Egyptian investigative team is in cooperation with its Greek counterpart to continue the search for "other remains of the missing plane."

Earlier, EgyptAir said the authorities it contacted could not confirm information aired by several news channels regarding the finding of the wreckage of the missing EgyptAir jet near Crete Island in the Mediterranean. 

The Airbus 320 had 66 people of different nationalities on board, including two newborns and a child.

The passengers included 30 Egyptians, 15 French nationals, two Iraqi nationals, a British national, a Saudi national, a Portuguese national, a Belgian, a Kuwaiti, a Chadian, an Algerian, and a Canadian. There were also 10 EgyptAir crew members on board.

Egypt's President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi met with the National Security Council on Thursday in the attendance of ministers and discussed developments regarding the missing plane.

White House Spokesman Josh Earnest said, "It's too early to definitively say what may have caused this disaster." 

Greek Defence Minister Panos Kammenos said the Airbus had first swerved 90 degrees to the left, then spun through 360 degrees to the right. After plunging from 37,000 feet to 15,000, it vanished from Greek radar screens, Reuters reported.

Egypt's aviation minister said in a press conference that it was more likely that a terror attack had led to this situation rather than a technical failure.

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