Air France Plane Missing

The plane's crew reported an electric failure and loss of cabin pressure and was lost in a region of the world known for intense tropical storms and lightning.

Air France flight 447 is missing between Brazil and France.

(PARIS) - An Air France plane has disappeared while flying from Rio de Janeiro to Paris. There were 228 people aboard the plane included several children.

The plane's crew reported an electric failure and loss of cabin pressure and was lost in a region of the world known for intense tropical storms and lightning.

Air France says they express their deepest sympathy to the relatives and friends of the passengers and crew who were on board AF flight 447 on 31 May 2009, which disappeared somewhere between Rio de Janeiro and Paris-Charles de Gaulle.

"Air France is doing its utmost to provide support to relatives and friends: counseling with physicians and psychologists as well as specially trained Air France volunteers has been set up at the airports of Paris-Charles de Gaulle 2 and Rio de Janeiro."

Air France has also established a special toll-free number for the attention of relatives and friends of passengers who may have been on board. They can use this number to obtain information on whether or not a member of their family or friends was on board.

Phone number reserved for relatives and friends
0800 800 812 in France,
0800 881 20 20 in Brazil,
and + 33 1 57 02 10 55 for calls from all other countries.

Air France stresses that this is not a line for media, instead reserved only for those related to the missing passengers.