EgyptAir crash

This item appears on page 15 of the July 2016 issue.

An EgyptAir plane, flight MS804 heading from Paris to Cairo, crashed into the Mediterranean Sea on May 19 shortly after airport tower operators in Greece lost contact with the pilots. There were 56 passengers and 10 crew on board, and all are presumed dead. It was later revealed that in-flight systems had reported two smoke alarms being set off on board before contact was lost. 

At press time, a multinational search team was still scanning for signals from the plane’s “black box.” The cause of the crash is unknown. Earlier reports that it was likely a terrorist act were retracted.