The fleshed-out fate of EgyptAir Flight 804, which disappeared on the way from Paris to Cairo Thursday morning, remains up for grabs. Officials in France and Egypt sadly concluded that the plane had crashed after dropping off the radar. Data revealed that the aircraft violently swerved and lost 20,000 feet in altitude before going missing. Egyptian air minister Sherif Fathy asked folks to avoid speculation, but admitted terrorism was a more likely cause than technical failure. And the entirety of Thursday filled itself with fake photos of crash debris and a viral fireball video, which probably earned one enterprising soul a nice chunk of change.
One important detail: No terrorist group has yet claimed responsibility for the incident. Until that happens (if it does), the bulk of the investigation depends upon locating and examining the wreckage.
Throughout the crash’s immediate aftermath, conflicting reports dropped about whether search teams recovered debris. This confusing information culminated with a statement from the EgyptAir VP, who told CNN that wreckage was in the Mediterranean Sea. A few hours later, the airline issued a “we stand corrected” update, and CNN updated their story to indicate that no authentic wreckage was located. On Friday morning, the saga received an addition that seems legitimate. As the Associated Press reports, the Egyptian military reportedly uncovered debris and a body part — which they believe does match up to Flight 804 — near Alexandria:
Greece’s defense minister Panos Kammenos said Greek authorities received notification that Egyptian authorities had spotted the body part, two seats and suitcases during their search in the Mediterranean for the wreckage of the Airbus 320.
The debris was found around 180 miles north of the coastal city of Alexandria, Egyptian army spokesman Brig. Gen. Mohammed Samir said in a statement posted on his Facebook page. The Egyptian military continued to search for further debris from the downed passenger jet, he said.
The debris still isn’t technically confirmed come from Flight 804 until an inspection is complete. The story still may change because the Egyptian officials who spoke to the AP did so anonymously, but given that Panos Kammenos and Mohammed Samir both spoke out, the existence of found debris seems solid. Kammenos does indicate that his words are not yet an official announcement, so the waiting game continues.
Meanwhile, someone hatched a new conspiracy theory with a self-aware edge. Twitter user Kevin Andrew casually mentioned that Flight 804 dropped off the radar precisely 804 days after Malaysian Flight 370 disappeared without a trace. Unfortunately (and as one of his replies pointed out), the dates don’t line up as expected. But no worries, someone else will dream up a substitute conspiracy theory soon.
(Via Associated Press and CNN)