FRANCE: French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius says an Air Algerie flight carrying more than 100 people including 51 French nationals was still missing and had "probably" crashed

Record ID: 574371

  • Title: FRANCE: French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius says an Air Algerie flight carrying more than 100 people including 51 French nationals was still missing and had "probably" crashed
  • Date: 24th July 2014
  • Summary: PARIS, FRANCE (JULY 24, 2014) (REUTERS) VARIOUS EXTERIORS OF FRENCH FOREIGN MINISTRY FRENCH FOREIGN MINISTER LAURENT FABIUS ARRIVING FOR NEWS BRIEFING (SOUNDBITE) (French) FRENCH FOREIGN MINISTER LAURENT FABIUS SAYING: "Ladies and gentlemen, this is the specific information we have at the moment. The Air Algerie flight AH5017 left Ouagadougou in Burkina Faso for Algiers a little before 0100 this morning. Contact was lost with this plane, a McDonnell Douglas 83, contact was lost at 0147. A little later the crew was indicated to have diverged from its route for meteorological reasons. The aircraft was flying then, in all likelihood, over Malian airspace. Despite intensive search efforts, at this very moment, no trace of the aircraft has yet been found. The plane has probably crashed. Search efforts are focused at this point on a vast area of Malian territory, around the region of Gao. According to the latest information that was communicated to me by the Burkina government, 51 French nationals were on board. My Algerian colleague, with whom I have just spoken, mentions about 50 French nationals, that is around half of the passengers on board, as well as 14 other nationalities, including a Spanish crew." VIDEO CAMERAS (SOUNDBITE) (French) FRENCH FOREIGN MINISTER LAURENT FABIUS SAYING: "The Defence Ministry is deploying its means in the region to locate traces of the aircraft. The Algerians and United Nations forces are doing the same. Two Mirage 2000s based in Niyame are making at this very moment, and since this morning, reconnaissance flights. Our military means in the region, including medical means, are all mobilised." ROISSY, FRANCE (JULY 24, 2014) (REUTERS) POLICE VANS OUTSIDE CHARLES DE GAULLE AIRPORT TERMINAL OFFICIAL AND SECURITY OFFICER ENTERING CRISIS UNIT FOR FAMILIES OF PASSENGERS OF THE MISSING AIR ALGERIE FLIGHT SECURITY OFFICER TALKING ON PHONE VARIOUS OF POLICE OFFICERS OUTSIDE ENTRANCE TO CRISIS UNIT CROWD OF JOURNALISTS STANDING IN FRONT OF AIR ALGERIA DESK AT AIRPORT SIGN READING: 'AIR ALGERIE' VARIOUS OF AIR ALGERIA STAFF MEMBER BEHIND DESK
  • Embargoed: 8th August 2014 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: France
  • Country: France
  • Topics: Disasters,General,Politics,Transport
  • Reuters ID: LVA8PS2419MEMAMYXK424FAQYF8K
  • Story Text: French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius said on Thursday (July 24) that an Air Algerie flight with more than 100 people on board which disappeared over Mali was still missing, but had probably crashed.
    "The Air Algerie flight AH5017 left Ouagadougou in Burkina Faso for Algiers a little before 0100 this morning. Contact was lost with this plane, a McDonnell Douglas 83, contact was lost at 0147. A little later the crew was indicated to have diverged from its route for meteorological reasons. The aircraft was flying then, in all likelihood, over Malian airspace. Despite intensive search efforts, at this very moment, no trace of the aircraft has yet been found. The plane has probably crashed," Fabius told reporters in Paris.
    He added that a search for the aircraft, which had 51 French nationals on board, was underway.
    "Search efforts are focused at this point on a vast area of Malian territory, around the region of Gao. According to the latest information that was communicated to me by the Burkina government, 51 French nationals were on board. My Algerian colleague, with whom I have just spoken, mentions about 50 French nationals, that is around half of the passengers on board, as well as 14 other nationalities, including a Spanish crew," Fabius said.
    Fabius said that French Mirage warplanes were scouring the area for the aircraft.
    "The Defence Ministry is deploying its means in the region to locate traces of the aircraft. The Algerians and United Nations forces are doing the same. Two Mirage 2000s based in Niyame are making at this very moment, and since this morning, reconnaissance flights. Our military means in the region, including medical means, are all mobilised," he said.
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