EgyptAir Flight 804 Presumed Crashed Over Mediterranean Sea

As many as 66 people lost as a result of aircraft incident under investigation.

A multi-national coalition is searching for what may remain of EgyptAir Flight 804 after the aircraft lost contact with both radar and air traffic controllers during their flight. The Airbus A320 disappeared on Wednesday, May 18, during their flight between Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport (CDG) and Cairo International Airport (CAI). The aircraft was at a cruising altitude of around 37,000 feet over the Mediterranean Sea.

The airline first confirmed the disappearance of MS804 at 10:57 p.m. Eastern Time. According to FlightRadar24, the last contact was made in the third hour of the flight. The Guardian reports the flight carried 66 people on board: 56 passengers, two pilots, five cabin crew and three security personnel. In a series of posts published by the EgyptAir Twitter account, the airline confirmed 30 Egyptian citizens, 15 French nationals, one Briton and one Canadian were among those aboard the aircraft.

In the wake of the aircraft’s disappearance, authorities fear the aircraft may have gone down after losing contact with air traffic controllers. AFP reports Greek investigators are following leads that possible debris from the missing aircraft was discovered floating near the island of Crete. A coalition of teams from Egypt, France, Greece and the United Kingdom are searching for the aircraft. During a press conference, French president François Hollande told reporters they believe the aircraft crashed, with all possibilities being considered.

“The information we have gathered confirms, alas, that this plane has crashed, and it has disappeared,” Hollande said, according to The Guardian. “We have a duty to know everything about the cause and what has happened … No theory is ruled out and none is certain right now.”

Although no official cause has been determined, many world leaders are speculating that the aircraft may have been a victim of terrorism. Egyptian civil aviation minister Sherif Fathy told reporters in a news conference: “The possibility of having a terror attack is higher than the possibility of having a technical (failure),” according to Britain’s The Independent. However, Egyptair has not yet confirmed the fate of MS804 as terrorism or otherwise.

“EgyptAir denies all misleading information published by news websites and social media channels regarding the reasons of the disappearance, the airline wrote in a press release. “The company confirms that the reason of disappearance hasn’t been yet confirmed.”

This is a developing story. For additional information and discussion, visit the FlyerTalk forums.

[Photo: YouTube/TheYottaTube]