Air France flight crashes with 228: Could it be intentional crash?

Undated file photo of an Airbus A330-200 similar to the Air France plane which vanished from radar after leaving Rio de Janeiro in Brazil on route to Paris, early June 1, 2009. The Air France plane on its way from Brazil to Paris has gone missing with 228 people on board, the airline said on Monday. Its last known location was unclear. Brazilian television said the Brazilian air force had started a search mission over the Atlantic Ocean for the plane. PHOTO/ REUTERS

By REUTERS

In Summary

• French minister rules out the possibility of a hijacking

An Air France plane with 228 people on board was presumed to have crashed into the Atlantic Ocean today after hitting heavy turbulence on a flight from Rio de Janeiro to Paris.

Air France said in a statement the plane sent an automatic message reporting an electrical short-circuit at 0214 GMT, roughly 15 minutes after flying into the turbulence.

Senior French minister Jean-Louis Borloo ruled out the possibility of a hijacking of the flight AF 447 from Rio de Janeiro to Paris.

There was very, very strong turbulence. For now we can’t understand what happened, Borloo, the second most senior in the government, said on France Info radio.

Apparently the possibility of a hijacking has been excluded, Borloo said.

Flight AF 447 has 216 passengers and 12 crew on board. It left Rio de Janeiro on Sunday at 7 p.m. and was expected to land at Paris Charles de Gaulle airport on Monday at 11:15 a.m.

It’s an awful tragedy. It’s dreadful … Until 10.45 a.m. we could still have some hope, but at this stage the kerosene reserves have been more than used up, Borloo added.

The jet’s last exact location at the time of going to press was unclear.

source.nation.ke