France to send experts to Egypt to help establish causes of MS804 flight missing

France's air accident investigation agency BEA said on Thursday that it is sending three experts "in the coming hours" to help establish the causes of EgyptAir plane's disappearance.

In a press release, BEA added its three members would be accompanied with a technical consultant from Airbus, the manufacturer of the aircraft.

The group of experts would help the Egyptian authorities make underwater searches to locate the plane and flight recorders, it added.

The Egyptian Foreign Ministry confirmed to Egyptian Civil Aviation Ministry that wreckages of the missing airplane were found near the Greek Island of Karpathos, EgyptAir said on Thursday.

In a press statement, EgyptAir said Civil Aviation Ministry has received an official letter from the Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs declaring the finding of wreckage of the missing Flight MS804 near Karpathos Island.

Reiterating the close cooperation with Egyptian officials to determine the cause, French President Francois Hollande said to dispatch aircraft and vessels to help the Egyptian authorities to find debris that would "allow to know the truth".

"France is in contact with Egyptian and Greek authorities," said French Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault.

On Thursday morning's phone conversation with his Egyptian counterpart, Ayrault expressed France's solidarity with Egypt over the terrible event that concerns also French nationals, the French Foreign Ministry said in a press release.

The two countries' foreign ministries agreed on "the need for a close coordination between the two countries in the assistance to the families of the passengers, as well as in the investigation for the cause of the disappearance."

Earlier on Thursday, Ayrault confirmed, after the inter-ministerial urgent meeting at the Elysee, 15 French nationals were on board MS804.

Hollande and his Egyptian counterpart, Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi, also vowed on Thursday to "work closely to establish as soon as possible the circumstances of the disappearance" of EgyptAir MS804, the Elysee said in a press release.

Speaking to local radio early Thursday morning, French Prime Minister Manuel Valls said the French government is "in close contact with the Egyptian military and civil authorities."

"France is ready to participate in the searches," he said.

Earlier in the day, EgyptAir said the missing plane, an Airbus A320, disappeared from radar screens en route from Paris to Cairo Thursday at 2:45 am Cairo local time (0045 GMT) with 66 people aboard.

(APD)