EgyptAir Flight 804 Debris Found, Egyptian Military Official Says
CAIRO — Debris from an EgyptAir planethat went down with at least 66 people on board was found on Friday in the Mediterranean Sea, the Egyptian military said.
EgyptAir Flight 804, an Airbus A320 jetliner, disappeared from radar screensearly Thursday morning as it was flying to Cairo from Paris, prompting a large search for the wreckage.
An Egyptian Army spokesman, Brig. Gen. Mohammed Samir, said in a statementposted on his Facebook page on Friday that military planes and ships found “personal belongings of the passengers” and plane debris.
The wreckage was found 180 miles north of the city of Alexandria, according to General Samir.
“There is no doubt” that the debris is from the EgyptAir plane, he said.
EgyptAir said in a statement on Facebook that it had been informed of the discovery by the Egyptian military, adding that the search in the area is continuing.
The search for debris was mired in confusion on Thursday, after EgyptAir said that wreckage of the plane had been located but then retracted that statement hours later.
Officials have suggested that terrorism was a more likely cause for the disappearance than mechanical failure, but others cautioned that it was premature to make that judgment.
President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi of Egyptexpressed his condolences on Friday to the families of victims. In a statement issued by his office, Mr. Sisi “with utmost sadness and regret mourns the victims on aboard the EgyptAir flight who were killed.”
