French frigate joins search
2004-01-06 15:17
Sharm-el-Sheikh - The French anti-submarine frigate Tourville has sailed into Egypt's Red Sea waters to take part in the search for the Egyptian charter plane that crashed on Saturday, the French navy said on Tuesday.
France's naval attaché at the French embassy in Egypt, Commander Xavier de Fontenay, said the helicopter-carrying warship, which had sailed from the French naval base in Djibouti, was now "in the area" but gave no other details.
The 300-crew ship is equipped with sonar equipment used to find objects underwater and has smaller vessels that can also take part in the search for plane wreckage and bodies.
A command and refuelling ship, the Somme, which can replenish vessels involved in the search, was also due to arrive shortly.
French teams on Monday deployed an electronic sensor in the Red Sea to try to trace the plane's flight recorders, while a French patrol plane began surveillance flights over the crash area.
France has also sent divers for searches nearer the surface and will also deploy a submarine robot if the electronic sensors locate the flight recorders in depths of no more than 400 metres.
The Egyptian charter plane crashed before dawn on Saturday, minutes after take-off from Sharm el-Sheikh, killing all 148 people on board, mainly French tourists returning home from a New Year's holiday.
- AFP