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Air France: No hope of survivors in Atlantic
(Agencies)
Updated: 2009-06-04 20:43

Air France: No hope of survivors in Atlantic
Photo released by Brazilian Air Force shows a Brazilian Air Force jet searching for the possible survivors in the air crash over the Atlantic Ocean in Brazil on June 3, 2009. [Xinhua]
He said French teams have been searching in different places and at different times from Brazilian search teams, which may be why they have not been able to identify the debris seen by the Brazilians.

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Three more French overflights were planned for Thursday, Prazuck said. A US Navy P-3C Orion surveillance plane has also joined Brazil's Air Force in trying to spot debris.

Brazil's Defense Minister Nelson Jobim said debris discovered so far was spread over a wide area, with some 140 miles (230 kilometers) separating pieces of wreckage they have spotted. The overall zone is roughly 400 miles (640 kilometers) northeast of the Fernando de Noronha islands off Brazil's northern coast, where the ocean floor drops as low as 22,950 feet (7,000 meters) below sea level.

The floating debris includes a 23-foot (seven-meter) chunk of plane, but pilots have spotted no signs of survivors, Brazilian Air Force spokesman Col. Jorge Amaral said.

Heavy weather delayed until next week the arrival of deep-water submersibles considered key to finding the black box voice and data recorders that will help answer the question of what happened to the airliner.

But even with the equipment, the lead French investigator questioned whether the recorders would ever be found in such a deep and rugged part of the ocean.

The plane's last automated messages detail a series of failures that end with its systems shutting down, suggesting the plane broke apart in the sky, according to the aviation industry official.