The German newspaper "Der Spiegel" (normally a quite seriouse and trustworthy paper) now reports on the results of the first postmortem examinations. According to pathologists, the findings indicate that the plane broke apart in the air. No traces of fire / explosions could be found. Also no water was found in the lungs of the deceased. The detailed article can be found here:
Air-France-Absturz: Erste Obduktionen geben Hinweis auf Unglücksverlauf - SPIEGEL ONLINE - Nachrichten - Panorama
Being not a pilot but a frequent (sometimes to frequent for my share) flyer, have there been cases of planes (speak wide-bodies) disintegrating mid-air due to turbulences?
Cheers,
VIE_PAX