Most on missing plane are Brazilian or French
(Adds other nationalities paragraphs 3, 4)
RIO DE JANEIRO, June 1 (Reuters) - Eighty Brazilians and 73 French people were among the passengers on board an Air France flight believed to have crashed in the Atlantic Ocean, the airline said on Monday.
The carrier has said 216 passengers and 12 crew members were on board flight AF 447 that was presumed to have crashed on Monday after hitting heavy turbulence on a flight from Rio de Janeiro to Paris. [ID:nL193233]
Air France spokesman Jorge Assuncao told reporters at Rio de Janeiro's Galeao airport that the passengers also included 18 Germans, nine Italians, six Americans, five Chinese, and four Hungarians as well as two citizens each from Britain, Spain, Morocco and Ireland.
The Assuncao also said the passengers included one person from each of the following countries: Angola, Argentina, Belgium, Iceland, Philippines, Norway, Poland, Romania, Russia, Slovakia, Switzerland, Austria, Turkey.
Earlier, a presidential aide told Reuters that Brazil's President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva had been notified that around 60 Brazilians were on board.
One of the Brazilians on the flight was Pedro Luis de Orleans e Braganca, a direct descendant of Dom Pedro II, the last emperor of Brazil, a spokesman for the royal family told Reuters.
Air France (AIRF.PA) said the Airbus flew into stormy weather four hours after its scheduled take-off from the Brazilian city and shortly afterwards sent an automatic message reporting electrical faults. (Reporting by Rodrigo Viga Gaier and Stuart Grudgings in Rio de Janeiro, Hugo Bachega in Sao Paulo; Editing by Todd Benson and David Storey)
- Tweet this
- Link this
- Share this
- Digg this
- Reprints
Follow Reuters