Air France plane with 228 disappears over Atlantic

Jet hits turbulence

An Air France jet carrying 228 people from Rio de Janeiro to Paris hit strong turbulence and lost contact with air traffic controllers over the Atlantic Ocean, officials said Monday. Brazil began a search mission off its northeastern coast.

Oman-India flight diverted over suspicious object

Air France Flight 447, an Airbus A330, had 216 passengers and 12 crew members on board, company spokeswoman Brigitte Barrand said. The flight left Rio on Sunday at 7 pm local time (2200 GMT Sunday).

About four hours later, the plane sent an automatic signal indicating electrical problems while going through strong turbulence, Air France said.

The plane "crossed through a thunderous zone with strong turbulence" at 0200 GMT Monday (10 pm EDT Sunday). An automatic message was received at 0214 GMT (10:14 pm EDT Sunday) "signaling electrical circuit malfunction."

Text & Images: Copyright AP. Unauthorised reproduction prohibited.

Image: A woman looking for information about the Airfrance flight 447 that has been reported missed on its way between Rio de Janeiro and Paris, is surrounded by Brazilian journalists in Rio de Janeiro, Monday, June 01, 2009.


Top-viewed galleries :

 Kavya: The Spelling Bee | Know your ministers | Birthmark secrets | The teen who floored the Italian PM | The pizza champ