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First pictures of EgyptAir MS804's mangled wreckage emerge

The first pictures of EgyptAir MS804's mangled wreckage have emerged from the crash site as investigators confirm smoke alarms were sounding on the flight before it plunged into the Mediterranean Sea.

Haunting pictures of yellow life-jackets, blue metal panelling marked with EgyptAir branding, clothing and other plane parts have been found.

Mangled wreckage found at the EgyptAir crash site. Photo: Michael Horowitz/ Twitter

The cause of the crash is still unclear according to Aircraft Communications Addressing and Reporting System (ACARS) data the smoke alarms were sounding for three minutes before the crash which killed all 66 on board.

Egyptian media is also reporting that divers have found the plane's black box, this is not yet confirmed.

Oil slick seen from a satellite shows where the plane might have crashed.

A ship at the scene of investigation.

Body parts, luggage and airplane seats were discovered in the Mediterranean Sea on Friday confirmed that EgyptAir Flight 804 crashed into the water but did little to resolve the mystery of what downed the aircraft carrying 66 passengers and crew members.

The first full day of search operations following the Airbus A320 aircraft’s disappearance early Thursday found no sign of the “black box”recorders that could help explain what caused the jet to veer sharply at 37,000 feet before hurtling into the eastern Mediterranean on a clear morning en route from Paris to Cairo.

Egyptian and U.S. officials believe that terrorism, not a mechanical failure, likely brought down the airliner. But no group has claimed responsibility and U.S. intelligence agencies have not identified any passengers or crew members with links to known terrorists, said a U.S. official who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss internal assessments.

The report from the Aircraft Communications Addressing and Reporting System. Source: The Aviation Herald

Egyptian authorities have said there were "no survivors".

Smoke was detected inside the lavatory at 2.26am local time, according to the website The Aviation Herald.

In the final moments before it crashed into the sea, a series of faults were reported over the next three minutes, according to the A320's Aircraft Communications Addressing and Reporting System (ACARS).

No more reports were received after 2.29am.

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The report does not indicate what caused the smoke, but it could point to a fire or an explosion.

According to the website, the data was "received information from three independent channels".

US aviation expert Bob Mann told the UK's Telegraph the data "could indicate rapid decompression or smoke and a progressive loss of flight control systems".

Relatives of passengers onboard the missing EgyptAir flight wait for information. Photo: Reuters/Abdallah Dalsh

"It’s consistent with a number of events including a bomb, mechanical failure and electrical failure. We will really need the data recorder to sort this out," he said, adding evidence of an explosion would be visible on debris.

Egyptian aircraft and navy vessels continue the recovery mission in the Mediterranean Sea after finding personal passenger belongings and parts of the wreckage.

The Greek defence minister, Panos Kammenos, said a body part, two seats and one or more items of luggage had been found.

"A short while ago we were briefed by the Egyptian authorities... on the discovery of a body part, a seat and baggage just south of where the aircraft signal was lost," Defence Minister Panos Kammenos told reporters in Athens on Friday.

A total of 56 passengers, including two infants and a child, and 10 crew members were on board the flight from Paris to Cairo, which took two sharp turns before plunging 22,000 feet into the Mediterranean Sea, Greek officials said.

Search operations are under way to locate the jet's two black boxes.

The European Space Agency said one of its satellites had spotted a possible oil slick in the same area of the Mediterranean Sea where the Flight 804 disappeared.

Foreign Affairs Minister Julie Bishop has confirmed one of the passengers on Egyptair flight MS804 was an Australian-UK dual national.

Of the 56 passengers, Richard Osman, 40, was the only British national confirmed on the flight.

His family spoke out about their heartbreak as it was revealed Mr Osman had only just welcomed his second daughter, Olympe, into the world three weeks prior.

He was a geologist travelling to Egypt for work, his brother Alastair told ITV.

"I still can't take it in, I got a call from our sister first thing this morning and I'm still in shock," he said.

Richard's brother Alastair speaks of losing his brother. Photo: ITV

"Richard was so happy at the birth of his second daughter, and yet weeks later he is no longer with us - it's an absolute tragedy."

He was also father to a 14-month-old girl, Victios, with French-born mother Aureilie, 36, who lives in Paris where the couple have a home.

Relatives of passengers on the missing EgyptAir flight break down as they console each other at Cairo International Airport in Egypt. Pictures: AP

It comes as Greek authorities said lifevests and bits of plastic floating in the Mediterranean are not from the crashed plane, as fears swell a terrorist attack was to blame for the plane's demise.

His words contradicted an earlier claim by EgyptAir on Twitter, which said Egyptian officials had confirmed that debris found near the Greek island of Karpathos came from the ill-fated flight, along with floating "life jackets and plastic material".

The path of missing flight MS804

"What was found was a piece of wood, and some materials that do not come from a plane," said Binis of the Greek Air Accident Investigation and Aviation Safety Board.

"Based on the available geographical information, we are talking about the same debris," he added, although he stressed that new information could come in at any time.

Egypt's aviation minister said that while it was too soon to say why the Airbus A320 flying from Paris to Cairo had vanished, "a terrorist" attack would be a more likely scenario than a technical failure.

As well as having millions of people living along its shores, where the plane disappeared in the Mediterranean is the same area where tens of thousands of migrants and refugees have been crossing from the Middle East to Europe.

Desperate migrants have been making the journey in small boats with life jackets that bear a similarity to the spotted debris. Thousands of refugees have died in the crossing.

EgyptAir has offered toll-free numbers for passengers' relatives for information 080077770000 from any landline in Egypt and +202 25989320 from any phone outside Egypt.