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| Plane searchers spot ocean debris | Plane searchers spot ocean debris |
| (10 minutes later) | |
| Brazilian aircraft searching for an Air France jet which went missing with 228 people aboard in an Atlantic storm have spotted debris on the ocean. | Brazilian aircraft searching for an Air France jet which went missing with 228 people aboard in an Atlantic storm have spotted debris on the ocean. |
| Plane seats and other items were sighted 650km (400 miles) north-east of Brazil's Fernando do Noronha island, the Brazilian air force said. | Plane seats and other items were sighted 650km (400 miles) north-east of Brazil's Fernando do Noronha island, the Brazilian air force said. |
| It could not be immediately confirmed that the debris came from the Airbus. | It could not be immediately confirmed that the debris came from the Airbus. |
| The jet was heading from Brazil to Paris when it vanished about four hours into its flight, early on Monday. | The jet was heading from Brazil to Paris when it vanished about four hours into its flight, early on Monday. |
| See a map of the plane's route | See a map of the plane's route |
| Air Force spokesman Jorge Amaral said the seats had been spotted by search planes early on Tuesday. | Air Force spokesman Jorge Amaral said the seats had been spotted by search planes early on Tuesday. |
| Also spotted were small white pieces of debris, material that may be metallic and signs of oil and kerosene, which is used as jet fuel. | Also spotted were small white pieces of debris, material that may be metallic and signs of oil and kerosene, which is used as jet fuel. |
| "The search is continuing because it's very little material in relation to the size [of the Airbus A330]," Mr Amaral added. | "The search is continuing because it's very little material in relation to the size [of the Airbus A330]," Mr Amaral added. |
| Officials, he said, needed "a piece that might have a serial number, some sort of identification" to be sure it came from the missing jet. | Officials, he said, needed "a piece that might have a serial number, some sort of identification" to be sure it came from the missing jet. |
| French Defence Minister Herve Morin has stressed there is still "no evidence whatsoever" as to the cause of the plane's loss | |
| "We cannot, by definition, exclude a terrorist attack, because terrorism is the main threat for all Western democracies," he added. | |
| Turbulence | |
| Plane crews from Brazil, France and other countries had narrowed their search to a zone half-way between Brazil and west Africa, hoping to pick up signals from the Airbus's Argos beacons. | |
| In his last radio message, at about 0200 GMT on Monday, the captain of Flight AF 447 reported entering turbulence, French media say. | |
| Up to a dozen reports of electrical failures were sent automatically from the plane before it vanished over the ocean just after. | |
| Most of the missing people are Brazilian or French but they include a total of 32 nationalities. Five Britons and three Irish citizens are among them. | |
| Crisis centres have been set up at Charles de Gaulle airport in Paris and Rio's Tom Jobim international airport. | |
| One of the Brazilians on board was Pedro Luis de Orleans e Braganca, a direct descendent of the last Brazilian emperior, Dom Pedro II, a spokesman for the family said. | |
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