UPDATE, May 19, 12:56 p.m. EST: The vice president of EgyptAir confirmed that officials have recovered wreckage from the plane.
“We have found the wreckage,” #EgyptAir VP tells CNN’s Christiane Amanpour about Flight 804 https://t.co/uIgC7vIZD0 https://t.co/6bEqBftAEc
— CNN International (@cnni) May 19, 2016
Egyptian authorities confirmed on Thursday that the EgyptAir plane that went missing overnight had crashed into the Mediterranean. Flight MS804, which took off in Paris, was carrying 66 people when it disappeared shortly after crossing into Egyptian airspace.
In a press conference Thursday, French President Francois Hollande said “no hypothesis was being ruled out” in the crash, including the possibility of terrorism. The country remains under a state of emergency that went into effect after the Paris attacks in November.
French President on #EgyptAir: “Information confirms, alas, that this plane has crashed”https://t.co/GhpGsEfiLL https://t.co/8JJBRABSxR
— BBC Breaking News (@BBCBreaking) May 19, 2016
“When we have the truth, we must draw all the conclusions, whether it is an accident or another hypothesis, which everybody has in mind, the terrorist hypothesis,” Hollande said.
#EgyptAir plane made 90° turn to left & 360° turn to right, falling from 37,000 to 15,000 feet: Greek minister @AFP pic.twitter.com/dOfE11p65n
— Jean-Marc Mojon (@mojobaghdad) May 19, 2016
The Associated Press reports the last known contact with the plane was recorded about 10 minutes before it vanished, with no distress call received. The plane departed at 11:05 p.m. and was expected to land at 3:15 a.m. in Cairo, according to EgyptAir.
Presumptive Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump weighed in on the crash on Thursday, speculating that it was likely the result of a terrorist attack.
Looks like yet another terrorist attack. Airplane departed from Paris. When will we get tough, smart and vigilant? Great hate and sickness!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 19, 2016