A hunt for the Air France jet that disappeared over the Atlantic Ocean will go on for as long as needed, government officials said on Tuesday.

"The search will continue as long as necessary. All means are deployed in the area and we'll put as many assets at their disposal as necessary," said Defense Minister Herve Morin.

Air France Flight 447 carrying 228 passengers vanished Sunday night about four hours after leaving Rio de Janeiro for Paris. The fate of all the passengers and crew aboard the Airbus A330-200 remains unknown.

The 4-year-old plane was cruising normally at 10,670 meters and 840 kph just before it disappeared nearly four hours into the flight. No trouble was reported as the plane left radar contact, beyond Brazil's Fernando de Noronha archipelago, at 10:48 PM local time (0148 GMT Monday).

However, a line of heavy thunderstorms hovered just north of the equator. Clusters of violent weather spread across the Atlantic toward Africa, as often is the case in the area this time of year.

The plane "crossed through a thunderous zone with strong turbulence," Air France said. About 14 minutes later, at 11:14 PM local time (0214 GMT Monday), an automatic message was sent reporting electrical system failure and a loss of cabin pressure, The Associated Press reported. Air France said the message was the last it heard from Flight 447.

One possible lead came from a Brazilian pilot who said he saw orange marks in an area of ocean under Senegalese air traffic control. However, the pilot was unable to determine whether the marks were buoys or flames.

Morin said the cause of the disappearance has not been yet determined but all possibilities must be examined.

The Airbus A330-200 is a twin-engine, long-haul, medium-capacity passenger jet that can hold up to 253 passengers. There are 341 in use worldwide, flying up to 12,500 kilometers a trip.

(Xinhua News Agency June 3, 2009)