Explosive traces found on victims of EgyptAir flight that crashed in May

Traces of explosives have been detected on remains of victims of an EgyptAir plane crash last May that killed all 66 people on board, the aviation ministry announced on Thursday.

Traces of explosives have been detected on remains of victims of an EgyptAir plane crash last May that killed all 66 people on board, the aviation ministry announced on Thursday.

Personal belongings and other wreckage from EgyptAir flight 804 that was recovered in May 2016 after the plane crashed in the Mediterranean Sea, killing all 66 passengers and crew on board. (File Photo/Egyptian Armed Forces via AP)

An official investigative committee which made the discovery has referred the case to Egypt’s state prosecution, it added in a statement.

Under Egyptian law, the prosecution takes over “if it becomes clear to the investigative committee that there is criminal suspicion behind the accident”, the ministry said.

EgyptAir MS804 was en route from Paris to Cairo when it disappeared from radar over the Mediterranean.

Read | Human remains suggest blast on board EgyptAir flight: Forensics official

Investigators determined that a fire broke out in or near the cockpit of the Airbus A320 before it crashed between Crete and the coast of northern Egypt.

Among the 66 people on board were 40 Egyptians, including the 10-member crew, and 15 French nationals.

Egypt’s aviation minister had said a terrorist attack was the most likely cause of the crash.

Watch | Debris from missing EgyptAir flight found in the Mediterranean