Pilot reports seeing flaming debris in crash zone

A commercial pilot has reported seeing flames on the surface of the Atlantic Ocean in the area where an Air France A330 aircraft disappeared.

Flight 447 – with 228 passengers and crew on board – was on its way from Rio de Janeiro to Paris when it vanished 300 kilometres off the north-western tip of Brazil.

Searches are due to intensify today, with military personnel from Brazil, France and the United States involved.

At the time of its disappearance the plane had entered a zone of severe weather, leading experts to suggest it may have been affected by lightning or severe turbulence.

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tags: Airbus, Brazil, France