Atlantic debris not from Air France plane

Debris initially thought to be the wreckage of a missing Air France jet is merely "sea trash", according to a Brazilian air force official. Search teams are continuing to scour a large area of the Atlantic for signs of the Airbus A330-200, which is presumed to have crashed, killing all 228 people on board. Investigators say a luggage pallet and two buoys retrieved by helicopters from the crash zone, about 700 miles northeast of the Brazilian coast, were not part of the downed plane. Relatives have already been told there is no chance of survivors being found and, after five days of searching, even hopes of finding bodies are rapidly diminishing. Brigadier Ramon Borges Cardoso said: "With each passing moment the possibility of finding bodies decreases. "We were initially concentrating on searching for bodies and survivors, but now we're focused on finding debris that can help in the investigation." Flight AF447 was en route to Paris when it plunged into the Atlantic four hours after leaving Rio de Janeiro. Experts have been baffled by the sudden disappearence of a modern airliner operated by three experienced pilots. However, determining what happened may prove impossible because the plane's flight data and voice recorders are feared to be at the bottom of the ocean. Air France sources have been quoted as saying the plane sent a series of automatic messages indicating system failures and a sharp dive. Spanish newspaper El Mundo has reported a transatlantic airline pilot saw a flash of white light at the same time the Air France flight disappeared. Brazilian and French officials say there is insufficient evidence to support speculation the plane crashed because it few into a storm too fast. Meanwhile, French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner has flown to Rio, where he has met the relatives and friends of many of the missing passengers. "Those who are missing are here in our hearts and in our memories," he said.

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ITN | June 5, 2009

Tags:. .brigadier. .diminishing. .cardoso. .pallet. .debris