Missing EgyptAir flight may have crashed into Mediterranean: Officials

CAIRO (Staff Report) - An EgyptAir flight traveling from  Paris to Cairo is believed to have crashed into the Mediterranean sea after it disappeared off radar, the Egyptian airline said on Thursday.

According to the airline, as many as 56 passenger and 10 crew members were on board the flight MS804. One child and two infants were also among the passengers.

The flight included 30 Egyptians, 15 French nationals, 1 British national, 1 Belgian, 2 Sudanese, 1 Chadian 1 Portuguese national, 1 Algerian national, and 1 Canadian citizen.

The aircraft, Airbus A320, disappeared off radar about 10 miles (16km) into Egyptian air space, some 280km off the coast, at an altitude of 37,000 feet.

EgyptAir, in tweet, said the airplane lost contact with radar at 02:45 according to local time.

An informed source at EGYPTAIR reported that EGYPTAIR Flight No MS 804 has lost communication with radar tracking system at 02:45 (CLT)

— EGYPTAIR (@EGYPTAIR) May 19, 2016

It further said that the relevant authorities had been notified about the missing aircraft and that search and rescue teams were now looking for the plane.

EGYPTAIR has contacted the concerned authorities and bodies and inspection is underway through the rescue teams.

— EGYPTAIR (@EGYPTAIR) May 19, 2016

EgyptAir flight MS804 made no distress call to the control room before dropping off radar, said EgyptAir vice-chairman Ahmed Abdel in a statement.

Local media reports said that fighter jets of Egyptian Air Force reached the area of the Mediterranean sea where the plane is believed to have crashed. Egyptian rescue teams are accompanied by the Greek Navy as well. No wreckage of the plane or bodies could be found so far.

EgyptAir has issued contact numbers for families of the passengers on-board where they can get information about their loved ones.