Brazilian airforce: update press release 15:10 GMT
PRESS RELEASE 03/06 (1015 Brasilia time) Brazilian Air Force:
"REPORT OF THE SEARCHES OF AIR FRANCE FLIGHT 447
The Air Command announced that during the searches conducted during the early night and early morning (03/06), an R-99 aircraft of the Brazilian Air Force (FAB) identified at 03h40 (de Brasília time), plus 04 (four) points of wreckage, 90 km south of the region originally covered by aircraft of the FAB. The crews of the R-99 observed the following provision of the items found:
- Various objects scattered in a circular area of 5 km radius;
- 01 (one) object of 7m in diameter;
- 10 (ten) objects, and some metal, and
- Oil stain with extension of 20 km.
During the morning, five other military aircraft take off from Natal-RN into the area of search, and three (03) C-130 Hercules in FAB, 01 P-3 Orion of the U.S. Air Force Falcon 50 French and 01 the opportunity where they go each point identified by the R-99 aircraft in order to obtain more information of the objects detected.
In total, eleven aircraft are deployed from the Natal and Fernando de Noronha Airbases to perform the search.
Five of the Brazilian Navy ships are sailing toward the area of search, with estimates of arrival of the first one (patrol vessel Grajaú) this morning. 03 merchant ships of amongst others Dutch and French nationality have arrived in search of the place of yesterday evening and will assist in the recovery of wreckage found at sea.
The Rescue Coordination Center in Dakar reported the closure of operations for searching the Dakar FIR. However, Dakar continues to contribute to the search operation in Brazil, with the coordination of AWACS aircraft (aircraft radar) of the French Air Force, flying over an area within the limits of that FIR with FIR Atlantic (Brazil), in search of objects on the surface of the ocean."