Air France jet missing over Atlantic, presumed crashed

Per CNN, Air France flight 447 carrying 228 passengers from Rio de Janeiro heading to Paris was reported missing early Monday morning. The jet lost contact with the airlines shortly after it flew over a stormy area with strong turbulence. Brazilian air force squadrons have been searching for the jet since this morning, per the article.

According to a recent Reuters update, an Air France spokesman said that the plane crashed but no news of the passengers are yet available.

Twitter users tweeted messages of concern about family and friends:

1. mehoneycutt (Tuscaloosa, AL)Please pray for the people aboard the missing Air France flight. Two of my mother and father’s friends were on the plane. 01 Jun 2009 from web
2. luluzinha82 (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil) É sempre horrível a notícia de desastres aéreos. Temos clientes da Agência entre as vítimas do vôo da Air France. =( (It is always terrible news of the air disaster. We have clients of the Agency among the victims of the Air France flight. = ( ) 01 Jun 2009 from web
3. Reinaluna so worried whether my friend who works as a flight attendant in Air France, in this route Rio de janeiro – Paris was there. Can’t find her! 01 Jun 2009 from web
4. marynantaylor (Texas)@cnnbrk How long before we hear who was on board? I have a friend who flies with Air France and can’t reach his relatives in Paris. 01 Jun 2009 from web in reply to cnnbrk

Brazilian Twitterers supplied an outpouring of grief and prayers for those on board, as well as for the families of the passengers:

1. Lurech (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil)Acidente Air France – Que deus possa acalmar o coração de todas essas pessoas que estão sofrendo nesse momento! (Air France accident – that God can calm the hearts of all those people who are suffering at this moment!) 01 Jun 2009 from web
2. paulocoelho (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil) Pls join me in a silent prayer for the 228 lives lost this morning in Air France flight Rio de Janeiro/Paris. May God guide these souls 01 Jun 2009 from web
3. carlosrabreu (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil) Consternado com o vôo da Air France que desapareceu no Oceano Atlântico. São 228 pais, filhos, maridos, esposas de alguém! Triste. ( Dismayed with the Air France flight that disappeared in the Atlantic Ocean. Are 228 fathers, sons, husbands, wives of someone! Sad.) 01 Jun 2009 from web

Meanwhile, Twitter users in France and England questioned how the plane could be lost:

1. SallyHBewsey (Kent, England) Tragic about the french plane!!!! all those people! where the hell has it gone??? 01 Jun 2009 from web
2. KingFame (Paris, France) we can lose all type of things; keys, money, clothes etc. How do you “lose” a plane???? http://bit.ly/10fybZ 01 Jun 2009 from web
3. celinehlbk (Paris, France) this is so weird, how can a plane completely disappear for so long? usually they woudlve known by now… 01 Jun 2009 from web in reply to ThiagoAcquaviva
4. sammathews (LONDON, UK) French plane has vanished over the Atlantic.. very scary stuff, over 220 people on board http://bit.ly/oP6Ym 01 Jun 2009 from web
5. tomlozethwaite (London, UK) I like how the dramatic ‘Plane drops off radar’ has become the even more dramatic ‘French plane lost in ocean storm’. Typical… 01 Jun 2009 from web
6. codebarlab (Paris, France) We are very sorry and sad for the passengers’ families of the plane Air France coming from Rio to Paris.How a plane can disappear like that? 01 Jun 2009 from web
7. iamstockmonkey (Stone, Staffordshire) This missing French plane business really is a bit too similar to Lost for comfort 01 Jun 2009 from web