RIO DE JANEIRO — The search could not be more daunting — military jets and boats looking for an Air France plane with 228 people aboard that flew beyond the reach of radar and went missing somewhere in the middle of the vast Atlantic Ocean.
Brazilian officials said the area where they think the jet went down is so remote the first military boats may not arrive there until Wednesday morning.
Air force jets from France and Brazil were crisscrossing the ocean Monday, but have yet to spot anything.
Air France Flight 447, a 4-year-old Airbus A330, left Rio about 7 p.m. local time Sunday with 216 passengers and 12 crew members on board, and flew for more than three hours before leaving the Brazilian coast. Air traffic controllers lost contact with the jet as it was entering a band of violent thunderstorms and turbulence that stretched along the equator.
If no survivors are found, it will be the worst air disaster since Nov. 12, 2001, when an American Airlines Airbus A300 crashed after takeoff from JFK Airport into the New York City borough of Queens, killing 265.
Brazil’s military said its search was focused on a stretch of ocean 680-745 miles northeast of Natal, the area where the plane was when it sent an automated message reporting electrical system failure and a loss of pressure.
by the associated press
Brazilian officials said the area where they think the jet went down is so remote the first military boats may not arrive there until Wednesday morning.
Air force jets from France and Brazil were crisscrossing the ocean Monday, but have yet to spot anything.
Air France Flight 447, a 4-year-old Airbus A330, left Rio about 7 p.m. local time Sunday with 216 passengers and 12 crew members on board, and flew for more than three hours before leaving the Brazilian coast. Air traffic controllers lost contact with the jet as it was entering a band of violent thunderstorms and turbulence that stretched along the equator.
If no survivors are found, it will be the worst air disaster since Nov. 12, 2001, when an American Airlines Airbus A300 crashed after takeoff from JFK Airport into the New York City borough of Queens, killing 265.
Brazil’s military said its search was focused on a stretch of ocean 680-745 miles northeast of Natal, the area where the plane was when it sent an automated message reporting electrical system failure and a loss of pressure.
by the associated press
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