Five days after flight EgyptAir MS804 was reported to have crashed in the Mediterranean Sea en route to Egypt from France, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi has announced the deployment of a submarine robot to assist in the search for the plane’s crucial black box recorder, which is expected to unearth the cause of Thursday’s crash.
Announcing the deployment on Sunday, President Abdel Fattah said the submarine robot has the capability to reach a depth of 3,000 meters, which is about 9,800ft, but he didn’t say what caused the crash.
They have a submarine that can reach 3,000 meters under water. It moved today in the direction of the plane crash site because we are working hard to salvage black boxes,”President Abdel Fattah said in a televised speech.
It is estimated that the plane’s black box could have sunk 2,000 meters below sea level north of Egyptian coast in the Mediterranean Sea.
On Thursday, flight EgyptAir MS804 was reported to have crashed into the Mediterranean Sea on its way to Egypt from France. Onboard were 56 passengers and 10 crew members.
Earlier Speculation of Terror Attack
Hours after flight EgyptAir MS804 went missing, Egypt’s Minister for Civil Aviation Sheri Fathi told reporters the crash was more likely an act of terror than a mechanical failure, but the minister now seems to be more cautious with words, requesting the media not to speculate about the cause of the deadly crash.
In cases like this we need to wait until we base our judgment on facts. We cannot at this stage come up with any conclusion, Fathi told CNN on Sunday.
Up to now, no terror group has claimed responsibility for the crash.
On Saturday, French aviation officials revealed that the plane had sent automatic signals of smoke in the cockpit minutes before it crashed.
Human Remains and Luggage Recovered
The Egyptian military in conjunction with rescue teams from France, Greece and the USA have managed to retrieve human body parts, luggage and debris believed to be part of the missing EgyptAir MS804.
EgyptAir is urging families of the deceased to come forward with crucial information that can help them identify the body parts.
According to CNN, the recovered body parts and debris will be handed over to Egyptian state prosecutor who is handling the criminal part of the investigation.
