Click to play videoNew Delhi: The remains of the ill fated Air France flight 447 have finally been sighted. Brazilian Air Force pilots spotted floating objects and seats about 720 kilometers from the island of Fernando de Noronha on Tuesday.
The remains were sighted after 36 hours of a massive air and sea search operation launched over the Atlantic Ocean.
"We are now in a race against time. You are aware that the black boxes which contain the only reliable information emit signals for 30 days. We know they are in an area where the ocean bottom reaches 3,000 to 6,000 meters (9,842 to 19,685 feet) with strong currents," said French Transport Minister Louis Borloo.
The debris has reportedly been found near the island where the plane was last spotted.
Flight AF 447 took off from Rio De Janeiro for Paris at 0330 hrs IST on Monday. At 0700 hrs IST the aircraft was spotted on the radar for the last time near De Noronha Island in Brazil and 27 minutes later the aircraft reportedly hit turbulence.
At around 0745 hrs IST an automated distress message was received indicating an electrical circuit malfunction.
At the Charles De Gaulle Airport in Paris joyful, relieved yet nervous passengers of flight 447 arrived remembering the passengers on the same flight on Monday that could not be completed.
"Well I can tell you we had two feelings. The first that we are alive and the other... strong thoughts for all those who disappeared," said Professor Claude Jaffiol.
"Well we were really lucky not to be on the flight from the day before," another passenger said.
The authorities have almost ruled out any survivors. How the flight went down would be known only after the black box is recovered.
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