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What we know about EgyptAir flight MS804

The Local France
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What we know about EgyptAir flight MS804

As new evidence sheds more light on the EgyptAir flight that crashed en route from Paris to Cairo, we take a look at what we know so far.

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What happened?

An EgyptAir plane A320, flight number MS804, with 66 people on board went off radar while flying over the Mediterranean Sea, en route from Paris to Cairo, on May 19th 2016. 

Greece's defence minister said the plane fell 22,000 feet and swerved sharply in Egyptian airspace before it disappeared from radar screens. 
 
"The plane carried out a 90-degree turn to the left and a 360-degree turn to the right, falling from 37,000 to 15,000 feet and the signal was lost at around 10,000 feet," Defence Minister Panos Kammenos told a news conference.

Wreckage was found by the Egyptian Army the next morning. A body part, seats and one or more items of luggage were found soon after by crews searching for the wreckage off the coast of Alexandria, Greece's defence minister said.Photo: AFP

Where?

The flight was last on the radar just off the southern Greek island of Karpathos in the Mediterranean Sea (see map below).

The Egyptian Army said on Friday it had found "personal belongings of passengers and parts of the wreckage 290 kilometres north of Alexandria."

When?

The plane left Paris Charles de Gaulle airport at 11.09pm local time on Wednesday May 18th. The flight from Paris to Cairo normally takes just over four hours and the plane was due to arrive at 3.05am local time.

The flight went off radar at 2.45am just after entering Egyptian airspace. 

Who?

There were 66 people were on board: 56 passengers and 10 crew members consisting of two cockpit crew, five cabin crew, and three security personnel. 

The flight was carrying 15 French passengers and 30 Egyptians. There was also a Brit, a Canadian, an Algerian, a Belgian, a Chadian, two Iraqis, a Kuwaiti, a Portuguese, a Saudi and a Sudanese on board the plane.

Two babies and one child were among the passengers. 

People wait for news at the Egypt Air at Charles de Gaulle airport in Paris. Photo: AFP

EgyptAir noted on its official Twitter account that the aircraft pilot had 6,275 flight hours, including 2,101 flying hours on an Airbus 320.

Why?

French PM Manuel Valls said at the time that "no theory could be ruled out" as to why the plane went off the radar. Experts have said that a terror attack was the 'most likely cause' of the crash. 

On Thursday afternoon in was revealed that traces of explosives were found on the remains of the victims. 

An official investigative committee which made the discovery has referred the case to Egypt's state prosecution, it added in a statement.

 

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