The spokesperson for Egypt's military said on Friday morning that passengers belongings and wreckage from crashed EgyptAir flight MS804 had been found north of Alexandria.
The plane was en route to Cairo from Charle de Gaulle Airport in Paris on Wednesday when it disappeared from radar over the Mediterranean Sea, shortly after entering Egyptian airspace.
The military said in a statement that it detected parts of debris and some of the passengers’ belongings while searching for the aircraft's black box, according to Reuters.
The army's statement, posted on its official Facebook page, adds that the search operation is under way, involving naval vessels and military aircraft.
President Adbel Fattah al-Sisi expressed his condolences to families of those on board, signifying that it is considered unlikely that any of the people on board survived.
"The presidency, with utmost sadness and regret, mourns the victims on aboard the EgyptAir flight who were killed after the plane crashed in the Mediterranean on its way back to Cairo from Paris," a statement from Sisi's office was quoted by Reuters as saying.
EgyptAir has confirmed on its Twitter account that debris and personal belongings were found 295km away from the coast of Alexandria. The airline also tweeted condolences to the families of the victims.
"The Egyptian Armed Forces have informed EGPTAIR that they have found first debris from the missing aircraft operating flight MS804"