Cairo: Here's the latest on EgyptAir flight MS804 that crashed into the Mediterranean while carrying 66 people from Paris to Cairo early Thursday morning (all times Dubai):
As it happened
3.21 pm: Body part, seat, passenger items from downed EgyptAir flight 804 found in Mediterranean sea, say Greek defense minister, Egyptian military.
2.30 pm: The airline’s Chairman Safwat Musallam, with by Vice Chairman Cpt. Ahmed Adel and Cpt. Hisham Al-Nahas, met a number of Egyptian and foreign families and relatives of the passengers and crew of MS804 this Friday, at a hotel nearby Cairo International Airport to inform them of the situation and circumstances of the incident. EgyptAir officials provided them with full support and assistance and they were keen to respond to their inquiries. Meanwhile, EgyptAir Crisis Center is still working on the updates of the search results issued by the concerned authorities.
2.08 pm: A journalist based in Greece claims that the Greek defense ministry have confirmed that the Egyptian military have found bodies, plane debris and passenger items in an area 5 miles south of where the EgyptAir plane disappeared from radar.
1:06 pm: The Egyptian army says it has found wreckage of the missing EgyptAir flight 804, which crashed after disappearing from the radar while carrying 66 passengers and crew from Paris to Cairo.
The Egyptian army spokesman, Brig. Gen. Mohammed Samir, says in a statement posted on his Facebook page Friday that Egyptian jets and naval vessels participating in the search for the missing plane have found "personal belongings of the passengers and parts of the plane debris," 180 miles (290 kilometers) north of the city of Alexandria.
"The searching, sweeping and the retrieval process is underway," military spokesman Brig. Gen. Samir said.
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EgyptAir also confirmed the find through Twitter.
The Egyptian Armed Forces have informed EGYPTAIR that they have found first debris from the missing aircraft operating flight MS804 #MS804— EGYPTAIR (@EGYPTAIR) May 20, 2016
The search in the area continues and further updates will be issued on https://t.co/FIhPtJm9qR and in our social media channels. — EGYPTAIR (@EGYPTAIR) May 20, 2016
EGYPTAIR sincerely conveys its deepest sorrow to the families and friends of the passengers onboard Flight MS804. #MS804 #Egyptair— EGYPTAIR (@EGYPTAIR) May 20, 2016
The Airbus 320 lost contact at 2.45 am local time (4.45 am) Thursday morning.
12:15 pm: Egyptian airport officials say that three French and three British investigators and an AirBus technical expert have arrived in Cairo to join the investigation into what caused EgyptAir flight 804 to crash while carrying 66 people bound for Cairo from Paris.
Authorities are continuing to search a wide area to the south of the Greek island of Crete Friday. The plane dropped off the radar while crossing the Mediterranean at around 2.45 a.m. local time Thursday morning.
The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the press.
10:45 am: France's foreign minister and a top transport official say there is still no sign of what brought down a Paris-Cairo EgyptAir flight in the Mediterranean.
Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault said Friday on France-2 television there is "absolutely no indication" of the cause.
The junior minister for transport, Alain Vidalies, said on France-Info radio that "no theory is favored" at this stage and urged "the greatest caution."
A French military Falcon jet is helping in the search for debris. Vidalies said France could offer undersea search equipment and experts.
Amid fears it was an extremist attack, Vidalies defended security at Charles de Gaulle Airport, saying staff badges are revoked if there is the slightest security doubt.
10:15 am: The search is continuing for missing EgyptAir flight 804, which disappeared from the radar while carrying 66 passengers and crew from Paris to Cairo.
Authorities are scouring a wide area south of the Greek island of Crete on Friday to search for wreckage, over 24 hours after the Airbus 320 lost contact.
The Greek Defense Minister Panos Kammenos says that the plane swerved wildly before plummeting into the sea.
The Egyptian military says that no distress call was received from the pilot. The country's aviation minister Sherif Fathi says the likelihood the plane was brought down by a terror attack is "higher than the possibility of a technical failure."
The distressed relatives of those on board have spent the night in a hotel in Cairo while they await news.
Those concerned about missing relatives who may have been on board are invited to call 080077770000 within Egypt/ +20225989320 international— EGYPTAIR (@EGYPTAIR) May 20, 2016
