Airbus A330-200 carrying over 200 passengers lost radar contact off the coast of Brazil late last night. The flight was apparently reporting electrical problems experienced during turbulence on its route between Rio de Janeiro and Charles de Gaulle Paris. Hope is still standing for some reemergence of the aircraft, although it has been several hours since contact was lost. In addition, the Brazilian Air Force has been deployed to the last sight of contact in order to search for any sings of the aircraft.The last known contact with the plane was at 1:33 a.m. GMT (8:33 p.m. Sunday night ET), the Brazilian Air Force spokesman said. Air France said it could not confirm reports of a short circuit on board the aircraft. The airline said it "shared the emotion and the concern of the families concerned" adding that friends and relatives waiting at the airport would be taken to a special area. A crisis center is being set up at Charles de Gaulle where the plane had been due to land at 11.15 a.m. local time.
Agence France-Presse quoted France's Environment Minister Jean Louis Borloo saying that it was extremely unlikely the plane had been hijacked. "We are very worried," an aviation official told AFP. "The plane disappeared from the screens several hours ago. It could be a transponder problem, but this kind of fault is very rare and the plane did not land when expected."
