Debris found after EgyptAir plane disappears

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Debris found after EgyptAir plane disappears

7:27 CAT | 19 May 2016

Reuters / The Airbus A320 went missing shortly after entering Egyptian airspace

Greek defence sources have reported the discovery of two large plastic objects in the sea 80km south of Crete, just hours after an EgyptAir jet travelling from Paris to Cairo went missing with 66 people on board.

The Airbus A320 passenger jet was flying at 37,000ft when it disappeared on Thursday 16km after entering Egyptian air space, EgyptAir said.

It said Flight MS804 disappeared from radar with 56 passengers and 10 crew members on board.

Sherif Fathi, Egypt’s aviation minister, said the possibility of a terror attack was “stronger” than a technical failure.

The floating objects were spotted in the Mediterranean Sea near an area where a transponder signal was detected earlier, the Greek sources said. Life jackets have also been seen, reports said.

The plane made “sudden swerves” mid-air and plunged before dropping off radars in the southern Mediterranean, Greece’s defence minister said.

French authorities have not confirmed any possible theories so far, Al Jazeera’s Jacky Rowland reported from Paris.

“The French are not making a call on the Egyptian aviation minister’s statements. They are completely reserving judgement until more information is available,” she said.

An informed source at EgyptAir earlier said the flight, which departed from Paris’ Charles De Gaulle Airport at 23:09 (CEST), was headed for Cairo when it disappeared from radar.

“At 4:26am, rescue teams affiliated with the Egyptian armed forces have received an SOS message from the emergency unit of the missing plane,” EgyptAir said on Twitter.

The AFP news agency said the Egyptian army later denied detecting any distress signal from the missing plane.