By Lin Noueihed and Ahmed Aboulenein

CAIRO, June 16 (Reuters) – The cockpit voice recorder from EgyptAir flight MS804 has been retrieved by search groups in a breakthrough for investigators searching for to clarify what induced the aircraft to crash into the ocean killing all 66 folks on board.

The Airbus A320 plunged into the Mediterranean early on May 19 on its manner from Paris to Cairo.

Since then, search groups have labored towards the clock to get better the 2 black field recorders essential to explaining what went incorrect, earlier than they cease emitting indicators in a couple of week.

Egypt’s investigation committee mentioned in a press release {that a} specialist vessel owned by Mauritius-based Deep Ocean Search was pressured to salvage the gadget in phases as a result of it was extensively broken, however was capable of retrieve the reminiscence unit.

“The vessel’s equipment was able to salvage the part that contains the memory unit, which is considered the most important part of the recording device,” the assertion mentioned.

Egypt’s public prosecutor ordered that the recovered gadget be handed over to Egyptian air accident investigators for evaluation.

Two specialist vessels, John Lethbridge and Laplace, are persevering with to seek for the second black field, which accommodates the flight knowledge recorder. They have but to detect indicators from that gadget however have recognized the placement of the principle elements of the wreckage.

The black containers are normally positioned within the tail, so discovering the wreckage and one of many gadgets narrows the search.

The investigation committee mentioned on Monday the black containers had been anticipated to cease emitting indicators round June 24. That would make the second gadget tougher to search out as a result of the aircraft crashed in a few of the deepest waters of the Mediterranean, about 3,000 meters (10,000 ft) under the floor.

With solely restricted quantities of wreckage and human stays discovered earlier than Thursday’s breakthrough, Egypt’s investigators have had little to go on.

They mentioned on Monday that radar imagery obtained from the Egyptian army had confirmed earlier studies based mostly on Greek and British radar knowledge indicating that the aircraft had swerved sharply to the left, then spun 360 levels to the suitable earlier than disappearing from radar.

That conclusion is necessary, one aviation supply has mentioned, as a result of it goes some solution to excluding the chance that the aircraft was introduced down by a mid-air explosion.

No group has but claimed accountability for bringing down the aircraft, however investigation sources have mentioned that it was too early to rule out any explanations, together with terrorism.

The crash is the third blow since October to Egypt’s journey trade, which remains to be reeling from the 2011 rebellion that ended Hosni Mubarak’s 30-year rule.

A Russian aircraft crashed within the Sinai Peninsula final October, killing all 224 folks on board in an assault claimed by Islamic State. In March, an EgyptAir aircraft was hijacked by a person sporting a pretend suicide belt. No one was harm. (Editing by Dominic Evans)

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