EgyptAir Wreckage Identified By Deep Ocean Vessel

The main locations of wreckage from the EgyptAir jet that crashed in the eastern Mediterranean last month have been identified, the Egyptian-led investigation committee said.

The Deep Ocean Search-owned vessel, the John Lethbridge, contracted by the Egyptian government, is working against the clock to locate the flight recorders that will help explain why EgyptAir MS804 crashed on May 19, killing all 66 people on board.

Signals from the data recorders needed to locate them down on the seabed are expected to expire on June 24.

The John Lethbridge has provided the first images of wreckage to investigators. A search team on board along with investigators will now draw a map of the wreckage's distribution spots, the committee said in a statement.

Previously collected debris will also be handed over to the investigation committee after "standard procedures" are completed by prosecutors who are currently holding it for forensic evidence, the statement added.

To recover the recorders, about 3,000 metres (10,000 feet) below the sea surface, investigators will need to pinpoint the signals to within a few metres and establish whether the pingers are still connected to the recorders.