(2 Nov 1999) English/Nat
Investigators combing for clues in Sunday's EgyptAir crash, continued their search and recovery mission on Tuesday.
But the investigation - concentrated about 60 miles (90 kilometres) south of Nantucket Island, in water that's hundreds of feet deep - is slow going.
Coast guard officials say they've only retrieved one body and some debris, so far.
And for relatives of victims who are awaiting word of their loved ones, the process is traumatic.
132 relatives of victims of flight 990 arrived in Newport, Rhode Island on Tuesday.
They followed the 80 or so who flew in on Monday.
The tearful passengers were primarily from Egypt, and included the chairman of EgyptAir and several Egyptian aviation investigators.
Following their flight, the relatives were taken by bus to a Rhode Island hotel, where they began a grim wait for words of their loved ones.
But the tragedy seems to be only getting worse for the friends and family of EgyptAir victims.
On Monday, authorities said they had given up hope of finding any of the 217 people aboard alive.
On Tuesday in a closed briefing with family members, crash investigators warned they don't expect to recover any bodies intact.
So far, only one body has been recovered.
But the investigation did get a boost on Tuesday when the U-S-S Grapple arrived at the search scene.
The Navy vessel which helped in the recovery of T-W-A flight 800, also brought divers who will try to retrieve the plane's flight data, cockpit voice recorders and more debris.
A signal believed to be from one of the "black boxes" was detected on Monday by Coast Guard searchers, who also found the first large piece of wreckage from the plane.
Investigators hope the cockpit voice recorder could provide some clues as to why EgyptAir Flight 990 plummeted into the ocean without warning Sunday morning.
The search is concentrated 60 miles (90 kilometres) south of Nantucket Island in water some 270 feet deep.
Because of the depth of the water and the cold temperatures setting in, authorities say the investigation could take months, if not longer.
Find out more about AP Archive: [ Ссылка ]
Twitter: [ Ссылка ]
Facebook: [ Ссылка ]
Instagram: [ Ссылка ]
You can license this story through AP Archive: [ Ссылка ]
