EgyptAir Plane Crashes During Flight from Paris to Cairo (UPDATE)

An EgyptAir plane flying from Paris to Cairo crashed while traveling over the Mediterranean Sea on Thursday.

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UPDATE 8:30 p.m. EST May 20:

Flight data obtained by CNN from an Egyptian source reportedly shows there was smoke detected in the EgyptAir plane before the crash. CNN reports the data was from the Aircraft Communications Addressing and Reporting System (ACARS), which is said to transmit data from planes to ground facilities.

A ACARS screen grab shows there was smoke detected in a bathroom, located behind the cockpit according to CNN aviation analyst David Soucie. The screen grab provided time stamps of the data, which showed it matched the time when the airplane went off radar.

UPDATE 7:36 a.m., May 20: On Friday, Egyptian officials told the BBC that the real debris of the plane was found in the Mediterranean Sea. Greek Defense Minister Panos Kammenos added that a body part, two seats, and a suitcase were found.

UPDATE 11:35 p.m. EST: White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest released a statement about the crash, pledging the United States' full support in determining the cause. You can read the statement in full below.

See below for original story.

An EgyptAir plane traveling from Paris to Cairo crashed while flying over the Mediterranean Sea on Thursday morning, according to officials who spoke with the Associated Press. Flight 804's signal was lost at around 2:45 a.m. local time Thursday. Reports indicate 66 people were on board the plane, and the plane was traveling 519 MPH at a height of 37,000 feet when it disappeared from radar.

A distress signal was detected nearby before the plane's disappearance, according to CNN, though local newspaper Al-Ahram is reporting that Flight 804's pilot did not send a signal. Serafim Petrou, president of the Greek Air Traffic Controllers Association, told The New York Times that it was most likely an automatic signal.

The airline announced via Twitter and its website that the reasons for the crash were not yet known and that the government is currently investigating the situation.

Egyptian Prime Minister Sherif Ismail held a press conference at Cairo International Airport and said terrorism is one possibility that is being considered, according to Al-Ahram. “If you [analyze] the situation properly, the possibility of having a terror attack is higher than the possibility of having a technical [problem]," Egypt’s aviation minister Sherif Fathy said at a press conference, according to The Guardian.

“When we have the truth, we need to draw all the conclusions,” French President Francois Hollande said at a speech in Paris, according to ABC. “At this stage, we must give priority to solidarity toward the families."

Russian President Vladimir Putin expressed his condolences.

The Greek Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated that they would join in efforts to help the victims.

The French Ministry of Foreign Affairs set up a crisis hotline for those affected by the crash. 

Additionally, Donald Trump weighed in with speculation about the cause of the crash.

Airbus, the maker of the plane, confirmed that it was lost but did not confirm the crash. The same plane previously flew to and from Brussels, according to Dutch outlet VTM Nieuws.

Families of victims have been arriving at airports in Cairo and Paris, according to news.com.au.

EgyptAir's Vice Chairman Ahmed Adel told CNN's Christiane Amanpour that there was no distress signal sent and that the plane appeared to have been in shape. Adel also told Amanpour that the wreckage had been found on Thursday afternoon. He later retracted his statement telling CNN, "We stand corrected on finding the wreckage because what we identified is not a part of our plane. So the search and rescue is still going on."

Later Thursday afternoon, NBC's Ken Dilanian said American intelligence had identified evidence of an explosion on the plane. 

Another EgyptAir plane was hijacked in March. The hijacker was caught, and the passengers all survived. Authorities eventually concluded that the hijacking was not motivated by terrorism, according to BBC.

EgyptAir did not immediately return Complex's request for comment. 

UPDATED 1:32 p.m. ET: This story was updated to include reports from Christiane Amanpour and Ken Dilanian. 

UPDATE 8:10 p.m. ET: This story was updated to include a quote from Egypt Air Vice Chairman Ahmed Adel.

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