UPDATE: EgyptAir Fuselage Found, Chance for Survivors Very Low
Military crews of both Greece and Egypt have found wreckage and debris from the EgyptAir flight en route to Cairo from Paris that crashed early Thursday. Officials say possessions of travelers and the fuselage was recovered early in the morning on Friday.
The debris was found around 180 miles north off the coast of the Egyptian city Alexandria. The plane went down about 70 miles north of the coast near Cairo, about 135 miles east of Alexandria. The length of the site of where debris was found, from where the plane went down, shows how strong the currents can be in the southern Mediterranean.
Airline seats, body parts, luggage, and portions of the airplane, including the fuselage were found in the search.
Several hours after the crash, Egyptair stated the chance for survivors is extremely low.
Mourning has begun in Cairo and Paris today, as family members learn about their loved ones on the flight being lost.
“The presidency with utmost sadness and regret mourns the victims on aboard the EgyptAir flight who were killed after the plane crashed in the Mediterranean on its way back to Cairo from Paris,” the office of Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi said in a statement.
Before the fuselage was recovered, the Egyptian military claimed they had found debris about 70 miles north of the Egyptian coast near Cairo in the Mediterranean. Upon closer examination, that wreckage did not belong to the plane.
The search will continue into the weekend, as investigators will attempt to find the black box, which records the plane data, including altitude, speed, and pilot radio calls. The box may hold the answers to the questions many are asking about why the plane went down.
THURSDAY, MAY 19 — An EgyptAir flight travelling from Paris to Cairo lost contact with Air Traffic controllers and went down in the Southern Mediterranean sea early Thursday. 66 people were reported on board, as the plane crashed nearly 170 miles from the Egyptian coast.
The plane lost contact with Air Traffic officials around 1:30 AM ET, and sent a distress signal around 3:00 AM ET. Initial reports say the plane did major stunts, including a 90 degree horizontal turn, as well as 180 degree flips while falling out of the sky.
Authorities say the crash is more likely caused by terrorists than mechanical issues.
The Greek and Egyptian militaries are furiously searching near the suspected crash zone, but as of 8:50 AM ET, they did not come up with anything.
It is the first commercial flight to crash in a major body of water in two and a half years. Malaysia Airlines flight 370 crashed into the Indian Ocean March 8, 2014, and has yet to be found.
We will update you throughout the day as new developments come in.
