‘Terrorism’ likely cause of Egypt Air crash, possible debris found
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region – Egypt’s aviation minister Sherif Fathy has said that the crash of an Egypt Air flight on route from Paris to Cairo on Thursday was more likely caused by terrorism than a technical fault.
“If you analyze the situation properly the possibility of having a terror attack is higher than the possibility of having a technical [problem],” Fathy said.
There were no known security concerns about any passengers on the flight, Fathy stated in a news conference, but he confirmed that an investigation is underway.
Search and rescue teams may have located some debris from the aircraft. A Greek frigate assisting in the search found two large red and white plastic floating objects south of the island of Karpathos in the Mediterranean. They were found close to where a transponder signal was emitted earlier, sources said.
The debris found has yet to be identified.
French President Francois Hollande confirmed at a press conference on Thursday that the Paris to Cairo flight that disappeared earlier the same day had crashed but he said it was too soon to speculate about a possible cause.
"No hypothesis can be ruled out," he said. "When we have the truth we need to draw all the conclusions. At this stage we must give priority to solidarity towards the families [of the victims]."
Egypt Air Flight 804, an Airbus A320 aircraft, left the French capitals' Charles de Gaulle airport on Thursday morning and later disappeared over the Mediterranean Sea.
Greece's Defense Minister Panos Kammenos told a news conference that the plane made "sudden swerves" and "sharp turns" before it disappeared from radar.
The plane disappeared while flying at an altitude of 37,000 shortly before it was expected to arrive in Cairo. It was last detected in Egyptian airspace approximately 175 miles off Egypt's coast.
There were a total of 66 people aboard.
Weather conditions were reportedly normal at the time and place where the plane disappeared.
Greek naval vessels and aircraft and a British Royal Air Force landing ship are assisting the Egyptians in their search for the missing plane.
A Russian Metrojet airliner crashed in Egypt's Sinai Peninsula last October 31. The crash was believed to have been caused by a bomb planted by the Islamic State (ISIS) Sinai Branch and killed all 224 people on board.
“If you analyze the situation properly the possibility of having a terror attack is higher than the possibility of having a technical [problem],” Fathy said.
There were no known security concerns about any passengers on the flight, Fathy stated in a news conference, but he confirmed that an investigation is underway.
Search and rescue teams may have located some debris from the aircraft. A Greek frigate assisting in the search found two large red and white plastic floating objects south of the island of Karpathos in the Mediterranean. They were found close to where a transponder signal was emitted earlier, sources said.
The debris found has yet to be identified.
French President Francois Hollande confirmed at a press conference on Thursday that the Paris to Cairo flight that disappeared earlier the same day had crashed but he said it was too soon to speculate about a possible cause.
"No hypothesis can be ruled out," he said. "When we have the truth we need to draw all the conclusions. At this stage we must give priority to solidarity towards the families [of the victims]."
Egypt Air Flight 804, an Airbus A320 aircraft, left the French capitals' Charles de Gaulle airport on Thursday morning and later disappeared over the Mediterranean Sea.
Greece's Defense Minister Panos Kammenos told a news conference that the plane made "sudden swerves" and "sharp turns" before it disappeared from radar.
The plane disappeared while flying at an altitude of 37,000 shortly before it was expected to arrive in Cairo. It was last detected in Egyptian airspace approximately 175 miles off Egypt's coast.
There were a total of 66 people aboard.
Weather conditions were reportedly normal at the time and place where the plane disappeared.
Greek naval vessels and aircraft and a British Royal Air Force landing ship are assisting the Egyptians in their search for the missing plane.
A Russian Metrojet airliner crashed in Egypt's Sinai Peninsula last October 31. The crash was believed to have been caused by a bomb planted by the Islamic State (ISIS) Sinai Branch and killed all 224 people on board.