Human remains recovered from EgyptAir plane crash site; DNA tests to be conducted

Cairo: A search vessel has recovered all underwater human remains from the EgyptAir flight MS804 crash site in the Mediterranean, Egyptian investigators said. The John Lethbridge, a privately owned deep-sea survey and recovery vehicle, is now headed to Alexandria to hand over the remains to prosecution and forensic authorities in the presence of members of the investigation committee. The remains will then be transported to the forensic authority in Cairo for DNA tests, the committee said in a statement on Sunday. [caption id=“attachment_2869532” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Representational image. Reuters[/caption] The ship, which was contracted by the Egyptian government, will continue to search the crash site in order to confirm no other remains are left behind, the investigators said. The two black boxes — the data recorder and the cockpit voice recorder — were recovered by the crew of the John Lethbridge last month. The investigating committee on Saturday said the memory chips of the cockpit voice recorder are not damaged and showed the possibility of retrieving the records which could possibly unravel the mystery of the crash. Last week, the committee said it has extracted data from the plane recorder. The recorded data highlighted that smoke was detected from the lavatory and avionics bay, which confirms earlier reports about smoke signs. It also said the recovered debris from the plane’s front showed signs of high temperature damage. EgyptAir flight MS804 from Paris to Cairo crashed into the Mediterranean Sea about 280 kms from the Egyptian seacoast on May 19, with 56 passengers and 10 cabin crew on board. The wreckage was recovered from the Mediterranean Sea floor earlier this month. Egyptian officials have suspected terrorism, but no group has come forward to claim credit. Evidence from the wreckage will enable investigators to build a forensic picture of what occurred. The black boxes offer the best clues to determining why the plane went down.