Some highlights I picked up:Egyptair flight MS804 http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/world-news/egyptair-ms804-plane-crash-live-8003059The plane was carrying 56 passengers and 10 crew: two cockpit crew, five cabin crew and three security personnel. The airline said two babies and one child were on board.
Among the passengers were 30 Egyptians, 15 French, two Iraqis, and one each from the UK, Belgium, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Chad, Portugal, Algeria and Canada.
Britain’s foreign secretary, Philip Hammond, confirmed that a British passport holder was on board the plane.
Some more details are emerging about the passengers who were on the plane, among them a young military student from Chad who was flying home to visit his mother.
The protocol officer for Chad’s embassy in Paris, Muhammed Allamine, said the passenger was a student at France’s Saint-Cyr military academy. The man has not been named.
The Chad passenger on board the plane was ‘returning home after mother’s death’, reports the BBC.
Muhammed Allamine, from Chad’s French embassy, confirmed one of their citizens was on board, but didn’t name him.
Mr Allamine said: “He just lost his mother actually,.
“He was going to Chad to mourn his mother. He [was] going to give condolences to his family.”
Mr Allamine said the victim had studied at the military academy in Saint Cyr.
Kuwait names passenger missing with aircraft
The Kuwait Foreign Ministry has named their national who was among the 66 people on board the missing plane.
A ministry statement released this afternoon by the state-run news agency said the man was called Abdulmohsen al-Muteiri.
The statement, from assistant foreign minister for consular affairs Sami al-Hamad, offered no other details but said Kuwait had been in touch with Egyptian authorities over the crash.
Russia's FSB says 'crash most likely terrorism'The head of Russia’s Federal Security Service has claimed the missing EgyptAir Flight MS804 was brought down by an act of terrorism.
Alexander Bortnikov made the comments as he also revealed terror officers thwarted a “Paris-style” terror attack in Russia earlier this month.
According to the government’s Federal Security Service Russian and Kazakh forces foiled the potential terror atrocity on May 6.
The pilot of the missing plane was in a “good mood” as the plane entered Athens airspace, the Greek Civil Aviation authority say.
But in a statement released earlier they said authorities tried to contract the plane before it moved into Egyptian airspace but received no reply, reports ITV.
The plane was seen making ‘sudden swerves’ before it disappeared.The missing plane made ‘sudden swerves’ as it flew at 37,000 feet, according to a Greek Defence Minister.
Panos Kammenos said data retrieved on Egyptair flight MS804 shows the stricken plane made a 90 degree left hand turn then spiralled 360 degrees to the right as it dropped 22,000 feet.
He said: “At 3.39am the course of the aircraft was south and south-east of Kassos and Karpathos (islands)...immediately after it entered Cairo FIR and made swerves and a descent I describe; 90 degrees left and then 360 degrees to the right.”This was broadcast on its Automatic Dependent Surveillance system (ADS–B) - technology an aircraft uses to determine its position via satellite and periodically broadcasts it, enabling it to be tracked.
The information can be received by air traffic control ground stations as a replacement for secondary radar.15 French nationals are on board, along with 30 Egyptian, 1 Belgium, 2 Iraqis, 1 Kuwaiti , 1 Saudi, 1 Sudanese, 1 Chadian, 1 Portuguese, 1 Algerian and 1 Canadian.
The pilot of missing EgyptAir Flight 804 had not sent a distress signal before the plane disappeared at 2.45am, according to Egypt’s state-run newspaper.And the Egyptian military later said it had received no distress message from the aircraft, in a statement on its website.
However Egyptair is reported to have said a call was received by a military search and rescue team at 4.26am indicating it was likely an automated signal after impact.The plane is thought to have crashed near the Greek island of Karpatho.
A distress signal sent from the plane was likely sent after impact, Egyptair is reported to have said.
The call was transmitted at 4.26am Cairo time - with the plane dropping from radar at 2.45am.
It was received by military search and rescue team, indicating it was likely an automated signal after impact, reports BNO News.Egyptair flight MS804 http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2016/05/19/egyptair-flight-from-paris-to-cairo-disappears-from-radar/About 10 relatives boarded a flight to Cairo on Thursday in the hope of learning more about what happened. Mr Gicquel said they felt being in Egypt would help them to cope better.
A man who was to have taken the flight told BFM TV he had cancelled at the last minute: “I’m happy to be here with you. When I woke up this morning and heard the news I felt physically sick.” He declined to be named.
Another man, Abdelaziz, said: “I’ve got two friends who are in the plane. I learned what happened this morning. Someone else who came to the airport with us phoned me. I just can’t come to terms with it.
"One of my friends I brought to the airport was going to Cairo to get married. The other was going to Sudan because his mother has just passed away and he was going via Cairo.”
He added: “I think it’s important that politicians have spoken out to show that all those involved have the support of France.”
He said there were three security guards onboard the flight. Two of them were veterans while the third was a trainee. The EgyptAir flight flew to Tunisia and back to Cairo before making its journey to Paris. It picked up passengers at Charles de Gaulle and was en route back to Cairo when it disappeared.
'Two bodies found in water' - reports Two bodies have been found in the search area according to Al Arabiya, a Saudi television news channel.
It also reports that debris and pieces of plastic were found.
Plane 'fell 22,000 feet, spun sharply, then disappeared'
Greece's defence minister adds that the plane appears to have fallen more than 20,000 feet and then spun sharply before it disappeared. A number of baggage handlers and other airport staff have been suspended or lost their jobs because they were suspected of links to radical Islam.French spy chief had warned of impending attack a few days ago
