AFP: French investigators confirm EgyptAir black box found.


A French vessel has picked up signals believed to be coming from the black boxes of EgyptAir plane which crashed last month killing all 66 people on board, authorities here said today, raising hopes of finding the cause of the disaster.


The vessel "La Place", which is belonging to the French Naval forces and is participating in the search for the plane that crashed last month, has picked up signals coming from deep in the sea and believed to be from one of the black boxes of the plane, which crashed into the Mediterranean, a statement from the committee investigating the crash said.


An intensive search is currently underway to locate the precise position of the black boxes. A second ship, John Lethbridge affiliated with the Deep Ocean Search firm, will join the search team later this week, it said.


The Airbus A-320's black box recorders could be critical in identifying the cause of the disaster. EgyptAir flight MS804 disappeared from radar screens in the early hours of May 19, before it crashed into the Mediterranean Sea with all 66 passengers and crew on board presumed dead. Some body parts and small pieces of debris have been recovered.


The search the plane narrowed to a 5-kilometer-wide area in the Mediterranean Sea based on signals from the its emergency beacon. Egypt has earlier said the likelihood of a terror attack was stronger than technical problems that caused the tragedy.