Wednesday, June 03, 2009

DTN News: Brazil Defence Minister Nelson Jobim Says Debris Spotted By Planes In Waters From Crash Jet

DTN News: Brazil Defence Minister Nelson Jobim Says Debris Spotted By Planes In Waters From Crash Jet
*DTN News, We extend our condolenences in respect for the mourning of the relatives and friends of the victims for Flight Air France 447 Rio de Janeiro - Paris-Charles de Gaulle. God Bless their souls in Heavenly Abode. (DTN Defense-Technology News .... June 3, 2009)
(NSI News Source Info) Rio de Janeiro, Brazil - June 3, 2009: Debris spotted by planes in waters 650km (400 miles) off Brazil's coast belongs to a missing French airliner, the Brazilian government has confirmed. Brazilian Air Force remote sensing aircraft R99 is sat at Fernando de Noronha airport, Brazil, on June 2, 2009, after the search mission to find the Air France flight 447 which disappeared on June 1 over the Atlantic while en route from Rio de Janeiro to Paris. Search aircrafts on Tuesday found a seat and other debris from a plane in a remote stretch of the Atlantic and there is "no doubt" that it came from the missing Air France flight carrying 228 people, Brazilian Defense Minister Nelson Jobim said Tuesday. Defence Minister Nelson Jobim said he had no doubt the debris was from the Air France jet carrying 228 people. A Brazilian search plane saw a band of wreckage along a 5km (3m) strip, Mr Jobim told reporters in Rio de Janeiro. There was no report of survivors. A Brazilian Air Force Black Hawk H-60 arrives at Fernando de Noronha airport, Brazil, on June 2, 2009, after the search mission to find the Air France flight 447 which disappeared on June 1 over the Atlantic while en route from Rio de Janeiro to Paris. Search aircrafts on Tuesday found a seat and other debris from a plane in a remote stretch of the Atlantic and there is "no doubt" that it came from the missing Air France flight carrying 228 people, Brazilian Defense Minister Nelson Jobim said Tuesday. Flight AF 447 was heading from Rio to Paris when it was lost early on Monday. The discovery of the debris confirmed "that the plane went down" in the area, Mr Jobim said. He gave few details of the wreckage, saying only that it included metallic and non-metallic pieces. Earlier, Brazil's air force said it had spotted an airplane seat, an orange buoy and signs of fuel. Mr Jobim's words will come as grim confirmation of the worst for the families waiting for news both in Paris and Rio, the BBC's Gary Duffy reports from Brazil. If it is confirmed that all 228 people on Flight AF 447 are dead, it will be the worst loss of life in Air France's history. Ships on hand Naval boats are due to arrive in the crash zone on Wednesday, while three merchant vessels are already in the area, the Brazilian defence minister said. If any bodies are found, they will be transported by ship to the nearest airport, on Brazil's archipelago of Fernando de Noronha, he was quoted as saying by AFP news agency. The defence minister warned that the recovery of the plane's cockpit voice and data recorders could be difficult because of the depth of the ocean. "It could be at a depth of 2,000m or 3,000m [6,500ft-9,800ft] in that area of the ocean," he said. He made the announcement after visiting relatives of those aboard the flight, who were being looked after in a Rio hotel by teams including psychological and medical personnel. In this photo released on June 2, 2009 by the French Defense Ministry, a Breguet Atlantique is seen on a runway. 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, Brazil's defense minister said on Tuesday. France is also sending a research ship equipped with two mini-submarines to the disaster area. Distress call mystery Most of the missing people are Brazilian or French but they include a total of 32 nationalities. Five Britons and three Irish citizens are among them. French President Nicolas Sarkozy will attend a religious service for the families and friends of the missing passengers and crew at Notre Dame Cathedral, Paris, on Wednesday. Prime Minister Francois Fillon told the French parliament that the cause of the plane's loss had still to be established. See a map of the plane's route. "Our only certainty is that the plane did not send out any distress call but regular automatic alerts for three minutes indicating the failure of all systems," he said. Experts remain puzzled that there were no radio reports from the Airbus and they say that such a modern aircraft would have had to suffer multiple traumas to plunge into the sea, the BBC's Adam Mynott reports from Paris.

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