TRAGEDY — 66 believed dead as EgyptAir jet crashes in Mediterranean

TRAGEDY — 66 believed dead as EgyptAir jet crashes in Mediterranean

May 20, 2016
Egypt’s Civil Aviation Minister Sherif Fathy. — Reuters
Egypt’s Civil Aviation Minister Sherif Fathy. — Reuters

An EgyptAir flight from Paris to Cairo crashed into the Mediterranean on Thursday with 66 people on board, prompting an investigation into whether it was mechanical failure or a bomb.

There were no immediate reports of the discovery of any debris in the area of sea between the Greek islands and the Egyptian coast where the plane vanished from radar screens. But later a Greek military official said an Egyptian search plane has located two orange items believed to be from the missing EgyptAir flight.

The official says the items were found 230 miles (370 kms) south-southeast of the island of Crete but still within the Egyptian air traffic control area. One of the items was oblong, said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity in accordance with regulations.

In addition, Russian security official Alexander Bortnikov said "in all likelihood it was a terror attack" that caused EgyptAir Flight 804 from Paris to Cairo to crash into the Mediterranean. Bortnikov, the head of the Federal Security Service, called for a joint action to track down those responsible for that "monstrous attack."

French President Francois Hollande confirmed that the plane had "crashed" and the Paris prosecutor's office said its accident department had opened an investigation.

Egypt's Aviation Minister Sherif Fathy said he could not rule out either terrorism or a technical problem. "I don't deny the hypothesis of a terrorist attack or something technical. It is too early," he told a news conference in Cairo, adding that no wreckage had been found.

The Airbus A320 fell 22,000 feet and swerved sharply twice in Egyptian airspace before it disappeared from radar screens, Greek Defense Minister Panos Kammenos told a news conference. Egypt and Greece both said they had dispatched aircraft and naval vessels on a search mission and they were expected to be joined by French teams.

Fifteen French citizens were among the 26 foreign passengers on the EgyptAir flight, who also included a Briton and a Canadian. The passengers also included two Iraqis and one citizen from each of Algeria, Belgium, Chad, Portugal, Saudi Arabia, a Kuwaiti and Sudan, as well as 30 Egyptians, the airline said. They included a boy and two babies. Seven crew members and three security men were also on board.

Meanwhile, Kuwait's Foreign Ministry has identified a Kuwaiti feared dead in the crash. A ministry statement carried Thursday afternoon by the state-run Kuwait News Agency named the missing passenger as Abdulmohsen Al-Muteiri. It offered no other details about Al-Muteiri.

Families of passengers rushed to both airports Cairo International Airport and Charles De Gaulle hoping to know the fate of their relatives, the status and search of the missing aircraft till shock and sorrow engulfed them when the reports of the crash were flashed.

Both France and Egypt have come under attack by extremists in the past year and Hollande promised a comprehensive investigation into the cause of the crash as suspicions swiftly focused on a bomb. "We must ensure that we know everything on the causes of what happened. No hypothesis is ruled out or favored," he said in a televised address.

"Whether it was an accident or another hypothesis that everyone has on their mind — a terrorist hypothesis... at this stage we must focus on our solidarity with the families and the search for the causes of the catastrophe."

A Greek aviation source said the flight had disappeared from Greek radar at around 0029 GMT. "It crashed around 130 nautical miles off the island of Karpathos," the source told AFP, referring to an island northeast of Crete.

Greek Civil Aviation chief Constantinos Litzerakos said the pilot had mentioned no problem in the last communication before the plane disappeared.

Neither the Greek coastguard nor the navy could confirm reports that a passing ship had seen "a ball of fire in the sky".

EgyptAir Holding Company Vice President Ahmed Adel also said there had been "no distress call" before the plane vanished.

Egyptian Prime Minister Sharif Ismail told reporters "We can't preclude or confirm anything yet," when asked if the flight could have been attacked.
EgyptAir said the plane had been manufactured in 2003. Airbus said it had clocked up 48,000 flight hours. — Agencies and with inputs from Renad Ghanem


May 20, 2016
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