Air France Plane Crash Confirmed
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Brazilian Defense Minister Nelson Jobim holds a diagram of the crash area during a news conference in Rio de Janeiro on June 2, 2009. Jobim said that wreckage spotted in the Atlantic Ocean is "without a doubt" from the Air France jet that disappeared en route to Paris from Rio de Janeiro with 228 people on board. [Xinhua] |
The debris found earlier in the day undoubtedly belong to the Air France Flight 447, which went missing in the early hours of Monday, said Jobim.
The debris were found about 400 miles from Brazil's Fernando de Noronha archipelago, near the Sao Pedro and Sao Paulo Islands. The items were spread over five kilometers, which, according to the minister, showed that the plane indeed fell at that site.
There is still no way to determine whether the plane blew up, and there is also no news of survivors, said Jobim.
The objects found at the sea will be taken to the Fernando de Noronha archipelago on a Brazilian naval ship, said Jobim. The minister added that Brazil will be in charge of the recovery of the plane parts, while France will carry out the investigations.
The final passengers' list of the plane will be released on Wednesday by Air France, Jobim said. But it will not be complete, he said, as some requested the names of their relatives not to be disclosed.
(Xinhua News Agency June 3, 2009)