Paris: No theories ruled out on EgyptAir crash after smoke report
Ayrault says France's 'dual goal' is 'solidarity with the families but also transparency' on why plane went down
PARIS, France — French Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault said Saturday that no theory on the cause of the EgyptAir crash has been ruled out, after revelations of smoke in the cabin minutes before the disaster.
“At this time… all theories are being examined and none is favored,” he told a news conference after meeting with relatives of passengers who were aboard the doomed A320 which left Paris early Thursday for Cairo.
“The reports circulating here and there, which by the way are sometimes contradictory, give rise too often to nearly definitive conclusions,” Ayrault said, warning of the “painful tension” caused to the families of the victims.
“Finding the plane is of course the priority, along with finding the black boxes to analyse them, which will allow us to answer legitimate questions,” he said, referring to the voice and flight data recorders.
France’s “dual goal” is to offer “solidarity with the families but also transparency… on the circumstances of this plane’s disappearance,” said the foreign minister, who was joined by Egypt’s ambassador to France at the meeting with the family members.
Egypt on Saturday released the first images of items recovered from the wreckage of the plane. Images posted on Facebook by the spokesman for the Egyptian army showed a life jacket, twisted pieces of metal bearing the EgyptAir logo and scraps of fabric.
The passengers included 30 Egyptians, 15 French citizens, two Iraqis, two Canadians, and citizens from Algeria, Belgium, Britain, Chad, Portugal, Saudi Arabia and Sudan. They included a boy and two babies.
Seven crew members and three security personnel were also on board.
Times of Israel staff contributed to this report