EgyptAir Flight 804 Investigation: Greece To Send Key Data Wednesday Amid Conflicting Reports About Blast On Board

Egyptian authorities will receive key information from Greece Wednesday on the EgyptAir Flight 804 crash that occurred last week, a source close to the probe told Reuters Tuesday. The data will reportedly include radar tracking and conversation with controllers as the plane flew through Greek airspace moments before disappearing.

Greece remains confident that the Airbus A320 had lurched violently mid-air before it disappeared from radar screens, sources close to the probe told Reuters. Ehab Azmy, head of Egypt's National Air Navigation Services Company, reportedly said Monday that Flight 804 did not swerve before it went off radar. This differs from comments made by Greek Defense Minister Panos Kammenos, who said the plane made “sudden swerves” at 37,000 feet. The Cairo-bound aircraft, which took off from Charles de Gaulle Airport in Paris last Thursday, disappeared from radar shortly after entering Egyptian airspace. It was carrying 56 passengers and 10 crew members.

On Tuesday, conflicting reports surfaced about a blast on board the plane moments before it went down into the Mediterranean Sea. Egyptian forensic officials said that body parts recovered from the crash site indicate an explosion on board, the Associated Press reported.

However, Egypt’s head of forensics, Hesham Abdelhamid, later dismissed the reports, saying, "Everything published about this matter is completely false, and mere assumptions that did not come from the Forensics Authority," Reuters reported Tuesday, citing state news agency MENA.

Sources within the Egyptian investigation committee reportedly said late Tuesday that the plane did not show technical problems before taking off from Paris.

As the investigation into MS804's crash continues, French investigators confirmed Saturday that smoke was detected in multiple places on the passenger jet.