EgyptAir flight MS804: Rescue ships scramble to Mediterranean Sea to search for passenger jet

Marine Traffic
Jamie Bullen19 May 2016

Rescue ships have scrambled in the Mediterranean Sea looking for EgyptAir flight MS804 after its disappearance but no debris has been found so far.

A major search mission was launched today after the passenger plane disappeared off the radar less than half-an-hour before it was due to land at Cairo Airport.

The flight took off from Paris and was carrying 66 people at the time of its disappearance.

Video from the MarineTraffic website shows vessels racing to a pinpoint in the sea at the plane’s last recorded position at just under 37,000 feet but no signs of wreckage have been discovered.

Its website reported at least eight merchant ships have joined the hunt.

Meanwhile Greek authorities have deployed two aircraft, a C-130 military plane and one early warning aircraft, according to the Hellenic National Defence General Staff.

Helicopters have been placed on standby on the southern island of Karpathos for potential rescue and recovery work.

Aviation experts have raised fears the plane’s disappearance may have been caused by an explosive device amid conflicting claims about whether an emergency distress signal was sent.

Air travel expert Julian Bray said no alert being made could mean the aircraft suffered a "catastrophic failure" possibly as a result of an explosion.

The French government said President Francois Hollande spoke with Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi have agreed to "closely co-operate to establish the circumstances" in which the flight disappeared.

The plane was carrying 56 passengers, including one child and two babies, and 10 crew members, with one Brit believed to be on board.

The Foreign Office said: “We are very concerned by the disappearance of EgyptAir MS804 this morning. Our staff are in contact with the family of a British national believed to be onboard and are providing support."

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