An EgyptAir plane that disappeared from radar early Thursday is believed to have crashed into the Mediterranean Sea, officials told the Reuters news agency.
Search and rescue teams from Egypt and Greece are currently looking for debris and any survivors, Egypt’s civil aviation ministry said.
Cause of the crash is unknown at this time. However, the pilot had more than 6,000 hours of flight experience, the airline said. The co-pilot had nearly 3,000 flying hours.
EgyptAir Flight 804 departed Paris at 11:09 p.m., and was scheduled to land at 3:05 a.m., Cairo local time. It was at 37,000 feet when it vanished from radar at around 2:45 a.m. Cairo time. The Airbus A320 had been flying for about 3 hours and 44 minutes, according to flight tracker Flightradar24.
The Egyptian FIR in which #MS804 disappeared stretches several hundred kilometres into the Mediterranean. pic.twitter.com/gKs7VEVpHI
— John Walton (@thatjohn) May 19, 2016
Flight MS804 was reportedly carrying 56 passengers and 10 crew. Earlier the airline said 59 passengers were aboard but then revised the figure. The passengers included 30 Egyptians, 15 French nationals, two Iraqis and one passenger each from Algeria, Belgium, Canada, Chad, Kuwait, Portugal, Saudi Arabia, Sudan and the UK.
Relatives of passengers seeking more information can call +202-2598-9320 from outside Egypt. The French Foreign Ministry has also released an emergency phone number: +33 1 43 17 55 95.
Last received ADS-B position from #MS804 with Egyptian FIR (Egyptian airspace) boundary overlay. pic.twitter.com/TCGyEM6zT7
— Flightradar24 (@flightradar24) May 19, 2016
#MS804 was right on its typical air route, as shown by @flightradar24 data. It normally continued on the red line. pic.twitter.com/vXYfCyZaOw
— Jason Rabinowitz (@AirlineFlyer) May 19, 2016
.@EGYPTAIR reporting that flight #MS804 from CDG to CAI has "disappeared from radar." Last @flightradar24 info: pic.twitter.com/w4vgBPOlfi
— Jason Rabinowitz (@AirlineFlyer) May 19, 2016
In March, an EgyptAir flight with 81 people flying from Alexandria, Egypt to Cairo was hijacked and forced to land in Cyprus by a man with fake suicide belt. No one was harmed. The man, who a Cyprus official said seemed unstable, was arrested. Authorities didn’t classify the incident as terrorism.
In 1999, EgyptAir Flight 990 crashed off New England, killing 217 people. Investigators said the first officer likely intentionally crashed the airliner.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
