The Egyptian committee investigating the crash of EgyptAir flight MS804, which plummeted to the depths of the Mediterranean Sea in May, has declared the vessel John Lethbridge will extend its search to ensure recovering all human remains from the underwater crash site.
In a statement on Saturday, the committee announced that the vessel, from Mauritius-based Deep Ocean Search, will continue its mission until July 18.
The Airbus A320, which crashed whilst en route from Paris to Cairo on May 19 leaving no survivors, is thought to have fallen into one of the deepest parts of the Mediterranean Sea, between Greece and the north coast of Egypt.
The vessel, designed for deep ocean operations, was contracted in by the Egyptian authorities to search for the plane's black boxes (containing recorded flight information) and other remains from the crash.
The John Lethbridge has been scanning the seabed to salvage all human remains from the accident spot. According to Reuters, the Egyptian accident investigation committee announced at the beginning of July that "all mapped humain remains" had been retrieved. Despite this, the vessel will continue its work, in an exhaustive search of the area.
Forensic doctors are on board the vessel to transfer any remains found to the forensic medicine department in Cairo. According to Reuters, a large amount of human remains have already been handed over to coroners and prosecution at Alexandria port.
