Brazilian defense minister confirms Air France plane crash

The three-mile (five kilometers) path of wreckage found in the Atlantic Ocean belongs to an Air France jet carrying 228 people that was believed to have crashed into the sea, Brazilian Defense Minister Nelson Jobim confirmed on Tuesday.

Brazilian Defense Minister Nelson Jobim holds a diagram of the crash area during a news conference in Rio de Janeiro June 2, 2009. Jobim said that wreckage spotted in the Atlantic Ocean is "without a doubt" from the Air France jet that disappeared en route to Paris from Rio de Janeiro with 228 people on board. (Xinhua/Reuters Photo)

The debris found earlier in the day undoubtedly belong to the Air France Flight 447, which went missing in the early hours of Monday, said Jobim.

The debris were found about 400 miles from Brazil's Fernando de Noronha archipelago, near the Sao Pedro and Sao Paulo Islands. The items were spread over five kilometers, which, according to the minister, showed that the plane indeed fell at that site.

There is still no way to determine whether the plane blew up, and there is also no news of survivors, said Jobim.

Brazilian Defense Minister Nelson Jobim gives a news conference in Rio de Janeiro June 2, 2009. (Xinhua/Reuters Photo)

The objects found at the sea will be taken to the Fernando de Noronha archipelago on a Brazilian naval ship, said Jobim. The minister added that Brazil will be in charge of the recovery of the plane parts, while France will carry out the investigations.

The final passengers' list of the plane will be released on Wednesday by Air France, Jobim said. But it will not be complete, he said, as some requested the names of their relatives not to be disclosed.

A relative of the missing airliner's victims leaves the Rio de Janeiro International Airport escorted by guards in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, June 1, 2009. An Air France airliner with 228 people onboard missing over the Atlantic Ocean after its takeoff from Rio de Janeiro on Sunday was probably hit by lightning and suffered an electrics failure while flying through an Atlantic storm, said Air France on Monday. (Xinhua/Song Weiwei)