Airline officials say a terrorist act caused EgyptAir MS804 to crash off the coast of Greek island Karpathos after taking off from Charles de Gaulle airport in Paris bound for Cairo early Thursday morning.
The Greek defense minister said the airbus A320 made a sudden swerve in mid-air just after entering Egyptian airspace and fell 22,000 feet from an altitude of 37,000 feet at 2:45 a.m. Cairo time on Thursday.
The plane was carrying 56 passengers and 10 crew members when it crashed, the airline confirmed.
At a news conference Thursday, Greek defense minister Panos Kammenos said the plane suddenly turned “90 degrees left and then 360 degrees to the right,” before plunging into the Mediterranean Sea.
Kammenos said the plane was likely brought down by an explosive device.
The Associated Press reports Greek officials located large floating debris believed to be from the doomed airliner.
U.S. President Obama was notified about the crash early Thursday, and he asked to updated on details throughout the day, according to ABC News.
No Americans were on the passenger list.
