RT: The Egyptian search mission has reportedly found a body part, seats and suitcases from EgyptAir Flight 804, hours after other debris was spotted 290km north of Alexandria. President Sisi and the airline have offered their condolences to families of the victims.
The military said in a statement that it detected parts of debris and some of the passengers’ belongings while searching for the aircraft’s black box, according to Reuters.
The army’s statement, posted on its official Facebook page, adds that the search operation is under way, involving naval vessels and military aircraft.
On Friday, President al-Sisi expressed his condolences to families of those on board, signifying that it is considered unlikely that any of the people on board survived.
“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,” a statement from Sisi’s office was quoted by Reuters as saying.
EgyptAir has confirmed on its Twitter account that debris and personal belongings were found 295km away from the coast of Alexandria.
The airline also tweeted condolences to the families of the victims.
An EgyptAir A320 plane took off from Paris’s Charles de Gaulle Airport late at night on Wednesday, bound for Cairo, and disappeared from radar early on Thursday in Egypt’s airspace.
A second day of search efforts is going on in the Mediterranean. The operation involves the Egyptian, French, Greek and US navies, mostly covering the southern part of the Mediterranean as a possible crash area.
There were conflicting media reports Thursday, saying that some debris from the plane had been found, and these were later were denied. Egyptian authorities and the airline have urged people to refrain from making premature conclusions. However, aviation experts and intelligence services worldwide mostly believe a terror attack is more likely than a technical failure.
