CRI听力:Investigation Underway into Cause of EgyptAir Crash

France's air accident investigation agency BEA said on Thursday that it is sending three experts in the coming hours to help establish the causes of the EgyptAir plane's disappearance.

This while Egypt's aviation minister has confirmed that the crash was more likely the result of a terrorist attack than a technical fault.

Speaking at a news conference in Cairo, Sherif Fathi said the control tower had lost contact with the Airbus A320 in the early hours of Thursday morning.

"The last contact we had with the plane and the control tower was at about Zero hours thirty minutes UTC in the morning and after that the plane disappeared from radar. At about zero hours fifty minutes UTC there were attempts to contact the plane, but it was then confirmed that we couldn't reach the aircraft."

While not wanting to speculate as to the definitive cause of the crash at this early stage, Fathi says a deliberate downing of the aircraft is the more probable scenario.

"The situation may point, and I say may because I don't want to go to speculations, and I don't want to go to assumptions, like others, but if you analyse the situation properly, the possibility of having a different action or having a terror attack, is higher than the possibility of having a technicality.

Greek forces are still combing the Mediterranean for any trace of the aircraft, and Greek defense minister Panos Kammenos has expressed condolences on behalf of his government.

"I want to express, on behalf of the government and the Prime Minister, my hope that this situation will have a positive outcome, even though it seems that the plane has been lost. Until now, there have not been any clear results from our efforts and investigation. We will continue our efforts."

The recovery effort has also expanded to include Egyptian personnel.

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi has ordered the country's civil aviation ministry, the army's search and rescue center, the navy, and the air force to take all necessary measures to locate debris from the plane.

Egyptian Prime Minister Sherif Ismail says it is too early to rule out any explanation for the crash, including an attack like the one blamed for bringing down a Russian airliner over Egypt's Sinai Peninsula last year.

Meanwhile passengers at the aircraft's point of origin reacted with shock and disbelief as the news sank in.

Many say they felt lucky to be alive. And while shaken at the news, several people expressed the importance of carrying on with life, even in the face of an apparent terrorist attack.

"It must be so lucky. Yeah, it must be so lucky."

"I thought about putting it off until tomorrow or the day after, but I thought there's no point. We just have to carry on doing what we want."

For CRI, I'm Spencer Musick.