‘There isn’t even a whole body part’

Investigators are still searching for the Airbus A320’s two black boxes on the seabed as they seek answers as to why the aircraft came down early on May 19, with 66 people on board.

French and Egyptian aviation officials have said it is too soon to determine what caused the disaster.

France’s aviation safety agency has said the aircraft transmitted automated messages indicating smoke in the cabin and a fault in the Flight Control Unit before contact was lost.

Finding the victims’ remains and the black boxes remain the priorities as families and friends hold funeral services in Cairo to mourn their loved ones, but without the closure of being able to bury their bodies.

“Body parts arrived at the morgue yesterday and other body parts arrived the day before yesterday,” EgyptAir Holding Company chairman Safwat Musallam said.

An Egyptian forensic official who examined the human remains retrieved f-rom the EgyptAir 804 crash site said they point to an explosion on board.

He said all 80 pieces brought to Cairo so far were small and that “there isn’t even a whole body part, like an arm or a head,” adding that “the logical explanation is that it was an explosion.”

Greece will start dispatching key information on the EgyptAir crash to Egyptian authorities on Wednesday, including data f-rom the airliner as it flew through Greek airspace moments before disappearing, a source close to the probe says.

The aircraft d-ropped off radars 10 minutes after leaving Greek airspace and entering Egyptian airspace.

“We will start sending the main data f-rom tomorrow, including the radar tracking and the conversation with controllers,” a source said, adding that Greece stuck by its account that the plane had lurched violently in midair before it disappeared f-rom radar screens.

There has already been an exchange of information with Egypt, the sources said.

Egyptian authorities said they did not see the plane swerve and lose altitude before it vanished f-rom their radars.

Greek Defence Minister Panos Kammenos last week said the aircraft took a sudden 90 degree turn, before flipping 360 degrees in the opposite direction and plunging f-rom a cruising altitude of 37,000 feet to 15,000 feet, then vanishing.

“The picture we have off our radars is what the minister announced ... we insist on that,” the defence official said.

French soldiers search for debris f-rom EgyptAir Flight MS804 over the Mediterranean Sea. Picture: AFP/Marine Nationale/Alexandre GroyerSource:AFP

THE HUNT FOR BLACK BOXES

The plane and its black box recorders, which could explain what brought down the aircraft, have not yet been detected. Egyptian officials have said it is too early to draw any conclusions on what may have caused the crash.

But President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi had said a submersible that can operate at 3000 metres below sea level was deployed f-rom the oil ministry on Sunday in the hunt for the black boxes.

Specialised French equipment will also be used in the search. A French patrol boat arrived in the search area on Monday morning, whe-re it will concentrate mainly on the surface.

A life vest found at the EgyptAir crash site. Picture: Egyptian Armed Forces Facebook via APSource:AP

According to a French Navy spokesman, the priority is to find as much debris and remains as possible.

“For the moment, the priority is searching for any trace of the aircraft, for debris and victims,” the spokesman said.

The French boat also carries hyd-rophones, specialised underwater microphones that may be able to locate black boxes by listening to the “pings” they emit for a month or more after being activated.

“Weather conditions have been terrible for the past few days, but that is beginning to improve,” the French spokesman added.

A source in Paris close to the search said that once more specialised gear arrives at the area, “it will take several more days” before the black boxes can be located and raised to the surface.

Debris found at the EgyptAir crash site. Picture: Egyptian Armed Forces Facebook via APSource:AP

A French maritime surveillance plane overflying the area has already located floating objects, according to a French Navy spokesman.

However, experts have warned that specialised equipment could be useless if the black boxes — which can transmit locator signals for up to five weeks — have sunk to a depth of more than 2000 metres.

There were 30 Egyptians, 15 French citizens, two Iraqis, two Canadians, and citizens f-rom Algeria, Belgium, Britain, Chad, Portugal, Saudi Arabia and Sudan aboard EgyptAir MS804. They included a boy and two babies. Seven crew and three security personnel were also on board.

An Egyptian journalist holds a candle and a poster supporting EgyptAir during a candlelight vigil for the victims of the plane disaster. Picture: AP Photo/Amr NabilSource:AP