EgyptAir plane debris, human remains found in Mediterranean, officials say
Egyptian military also finds passengers' belongings, search continues for flight recorder
Wreckage of the EgyptAir plane that went missing Thursday, as well as human remains and suitcases have been spotted floating in the Mediterranean Sea, according to Greek and Egyptian officials.
Egypt's Civil Aviation Ministry confirmed on Friday that the Egyptian military had found human remains believed to belong to people on board Flight 804, which crashed in the Mediterranean on its way from Paris.
"The Egyptian navy was able to retrieve more debris from the plane, some of the passengers' belongings, human remains and plane seats. The search is ongoing," the ministry said in a statement.
The Greek defence minister said earlier in the day that the Egyptian military had found human remains.
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The announcement follows earlier confusion about whether wreckage had been located. Greek searchers found some material on Thursday, but the airline later said this was not from its plane.
Authorities have been scouring a wide area to search for wreckage, over 24 hours after the Airbus 320 lost contact. France, Greece, Italy, Cyprus and the U.K. are all supporting Egypt's search effort, the Defence Ministry said.
Two Canadians were among the 66 passengers and crew on the jet which disappeared from radar at 2:45 a.m. local time Thursday.
The debris and belongings that have been found will be inspected by investigators from Egypt, France, the U.K. and Airbus, according to officials who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to media.
Plane swerved wildly
The cause of the crash is not yet known. Greek defence minister Panos Kammenos has said the plane swerved wildly before plummeting into the sea.
The Egyptian military has said no distress call was received from the pilot.
Egyptian Aviation Minister Sherif Fathy said the likelihood the plane was brought down by a terror attack is "higher than the possibility of a technical failure."
Yet France's Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault asserted Friday on France-2 television that there is "absolutely no indication" of the cause of the crash.
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The junior minister for transport, Alain Vidalies, said on France-Info radio that "no theory is favoured" at this stage and urged "the greatest caution."
Amid fears the plane was downed by an extremist attack, Vidalies defended security at Charles de Gaulle Airport in Paris, saying staff badges are revoked if there is the slightest security doubt.
Suspicion has fallen on Islamist militants who have been fighting against Egypt's government since President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi toppled an elected Islamist leader in 2013. In October, the extremist group the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) claimed responsibility for the explosion of a Russian jetliner after it took off from an Egyptian tourist resort.
Russian investigators blamed a bomb smuggled on board.
No group has claimed responsibility for any actions related to Flight 804 going missing.
Officials from a number of U.S. agencies told Reuters that a U.S. review of satellite imagery so far had not produced any signs of an explosion. They said the United States had not ruled out any possible causes for the crash, including mechanical failure, terrorism or a deliberate act by the pilot or crew.
The European Space Agency said Friday one of its satellites has spotted a possible oil slick in the same area of the Mediterranean Sea where Flight 804 disappeared, but cautioned there was no guarantee the slick was from the missing aircraft.
Another of the agency's satellites will pass above the same area on Sunday and images will be studied for further clues as to the plane's fate.
The plane's erratic course suggests a number of possible explanations for the crash, including a catastrophic mechanical or structural failure, a bombing, or a struggle over the controls with a hijacker in the cockpit, according to officials.
Egyptian security officials said they were running background checks on the passengers to see if any had links to extremists.
Pilot Mohammed Shoukair was experienced by Egyptian standards, with 6,275 flying hours. His co-pilot, Ahmed Assem, had 2,101 flying hours.
Victims' families pray
Canada's Foreign Affairs Minister Stéphane Dion confirmed two Canadians were on board the flight. EgyptAir identified one of them as Marwa Hamdy. A friend told CBC News that the IBM project manager and mother of three was from Saskatoon and moved to Cairo about 10 years ago after marrying an Egyptian.
The name of the other Canadian has not been released.
Families of the plane's occupants spent the night in a hotel in Cairo while awaiting news of their loved ones. Egyptian officials said some arrived from Paris late Thursday, among them eight French relatives of the 15 French passengers on board the missing jet
Later in the day, relatives of four of the victims held prayers at Sultan Hussein Mosque. Some cried as they prayed.
Among those killed were Salah Abu Laban, his wife Sahar Qouidar, their son Ghassan Abu Laban and daughter-in-law Reem al-Sebaei.
"I ask God for forgiveness. This is very hard for the family," a relative, Abdel-Rahman al-Nasry, told The Associated Press.
Magdi Badr, a family friend, said, "We pray for the victims."
The Egyptian president expressed condolences on Friday to the families of the victims, amounting to Cairo's official confirmation of their deaths.
"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," al-Sisi's office said in a statement.
With files from CBC News and The Associated Press