Brazilian Air Force's
Lieutenant-Brigadier Ramon Borges Cardoso speaks at a press conference in
Recife, northeastern Brazil, on June 11, 2009. There is only a "remote"
chance that searchers will find all of the victims from the Air France
flight that crashed last week above the Atlantic Ocean with 228 people
aboard, Cardoso said here on Thursday. So far 44 bodies have been
recovered from the Atlantic Ocean near the crash site. (Xinhua/Brazil News
Agency) Photo
Gallery>>>
BRASILIA, June 11 (Xinhua) -- Three more bodies of
the victims of the Air France passenger plane that crashed in the Atlantic have
been recovered near Fernando de Noronha archipelago, bringing the total number
found to 44, Brazilian Air Force said on Thursday.
The bodies were located by a plane searching the open
seas for bodies or debris from the crashed airplane, and were recovered by the
Constitution, a Brazilian navy ship, which sailed to the site later, Brazilian
Air Force's Lieutenant-Brigadier Ramon Borges Cardoso said.
"It is expected that the bodies will arrive at the
archipelago early on Saturday," Cardoso said.
He added that there are possibilities of finding more
bodies in the area. "However, we did not collect any remains of the plane on
Thursday," he said.
Brazilian Air Force spokesman Lieutenant
Colonel Henry Munhoz shows a searching route map at a press conference in
Recife, northeastern Brazil, on June 11, 2009. (Xinhua/Brazil News
Agency) Photo
Gallery>>>
Cardoso said that the first 16 recovered bodies were
taken to the Institute of Legal Medicine to be identified, while 25 other bodies
were taken to the Fernando de Noronha archipelago for preliminary
identification.
He also said the military will discuss whether the
search should continue after June 19, which is set to be the last day of the
search.
Air France Flight 447, an Airbus A330, vanished over
the Atlantic on June 1 after leaving Rio de Janeiro for Paris, with 228 people
on board.
PARIS, June 11 (Xinhua) -- A French nuclear-powered
submarine joined the search on Wednesday for the flight data and cabin voice
recorders of the Air France passenger plane that crashed into the Atlantic Ocean
last week, the military said.
The submarine, Emeraude, began searching for the
recorders, commonly known as black boxes, in an initial zone of about 36 sq km.
It will then move to other areas in the following days. No deadline has been set
for the search. Full story
BRASILIA, June 10 (Xinhua) -- The first 16 bodies recovered from the Air France
crash have been flown to Brazil's northeastern city of Recife for
identification, the Brazilian Air Force said Wednesday.
Upon the arrival of the C-130 transport aircraft, the
bodies were taken to a local legal medical institute where forensic experts
would begin the identification process, Air Force spokesman Ramon Cardoso said.
Full story
BRASILIA, June 10 (Xinhua) -- Bad weather has prevented
search crews from recovering more bodies at the Atlantic Ocean crash site of Air
France Flight 447, which fell down on May 31, Brazil's Air Force said Wednesday.
Heavy rains in Fernando de Noronha islands near the
crash site have been making it difficult for aircraft to work, Lieutenant
Colonel Ramon Cardoso said. Full story
