Reports say crash debris may have been spotted
RIO DE JANEIRO — Brazilian media are reporting that search planes may have spotted some signs of debris from the Air France jetliner missing in the Atlantic Ocean. But the air force isn't immediately confirming the reports.
Brazil's Globo TV quoted a ham radio operator who reported hearing air force radio traffic that debris possibly from the plane had been spotted about 435 miles north of the Brazilian archipelago of Fernando de Noronha.
And the Web site of the Folha de S. Paulo newspaper says air force radar has detected signs of oil and metal in the same area.
An air force spokesman says authorities cannot immediately confirm the reports.
Stormy seas and heavy clouds have hampered the search for wreckage of Air France Flight 447, which disappeared over the Atlantic Ocean with 228 people aboard. French investigators said a series of extraordinary events likely brought the airliner down.
Rescuers scanned deep waters in a vast zone extending from far off northeastern Brazil to waters off West Africa. The 4-year-old Airbus jet was last heard from late Sunday night en route from Rio de Janeiro to Paris.
Investigators on both sides of the ocean worked through the night to determine what brought it down — wind and hail from towering thunderheads, lightning, or a catastrophic combination of factors.
French military spokesman Christophe Prazuck said bad weather made the search difficult Tuesday, with heavy clouds forcing search planes to fly very low over the water and limiting their line of sight.
"For the time being we can't find anything," he said. "There are a lot of squalls, a lot of storms."
Even once debris is found, the rescuers' work will be arduous.
"The underwater landscape is very steep," Prazuck said.
France's junior minister for transport, Dominique Bussereau, predicted a "very long investigation, it could be several days, several weeks, or several months."
French police were studying passenger lists and maintenance records, and preparing to take DNA from passengers' relatives to help identify any bodies. If there are no survivors, as feared, it would be the world's worst aviation disaster since 2001.
France's Defense Minister Herve Morin said "we have no signs so far" indicating terrorism was involved, but told French radio "all hypotheses must be studied."
Alain Bouillard, who led the probe into the crash of the Concorde in July 2000, was put in charge of the accident investigation team.
President Obama told French television stations the United States was ready to do everything necessary to find out what happened to the missing plane. France has sought U.S. satellite help to find the wreckage.
On board the flight were 61 French citizens, 58 Brazilians, 26 Germans, nine Chinese and nine Italians. A lesser number of citizens from 27 other countries also were on the passenger list, including two Americans.
