French survey ship joins EgyptAir crashed plane search

A specially equipped French vessel has joined the search for the black box flight recorders from the EgyptAir flight lost in the Mediterranean, a navy spokesman announced Tuesday.

The French navy’s survey ship Laplace started work on Tuesday afternoon, said a spokesman. It is fitted with devices capable of detecting the locator signals given off by black boxes.

The EgyptAir Airbus A320 plane crashed into the Mediterranean with 66 people on board during a May 19 flight from Paris to Cairo after disappearing from radar screens

Investigators are in a race against time to find the flight recorders, known as the black boxes, which have enough battery power to emit signals for four or five weeks.

The recordings could help investigators determine the reason for the crash.

Two members of France’s BEA air safety agency are on board the survey ship.

A ship with a robot capable of diving up to 3,000 metres (yards) to retrieve the black boxes is also due to join the search, supplied by French company Deep Ocean Search. It is expected around June 10.