Australian-UK national on Egyptair plane

The New Daily
May 20, 2016, updated May 20, 2016

The Egyptair plane that went missing on a trip between Cairo and Paris reportedly contained an Australian-UK national.

According to ABC News, one of the 66 passengers on board carried both British and Australian passports.

The identity of the passenger has not yet been released.

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Foreign Minister Julie Bishop released a statement confirming the news.

“I regretfully confirm that one of the passengers on Egypt Air flight, MS 804, en route from Paris to Cairo was an Australian-UK dual national,” she said.

“We are working closely with UK authorities, which are taking the lead in the provision of consular assistance to the man’s family.”

Egypt’s aviation minister said terrorism was more likely to have brought down the plane than mechanical failure.

But US officials have cautioned against terrorism reports, saying preliminary investigations had found no sign of any such activity.

The review of satellite imagery has not produced any signs of an explosion aboard the flight, officials from multiple US agencies told Reuters.

The officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss intelligence matters, said the conclusion was the result of a preliminary examination of imagery on Thursday and cautioned against media reports suggesting the United States believed a bomb was responsible for the crash.

The United States has not ruled out any possible causes for the crash, including mechanical failure, terrorism or a deliberate act by the pilot or crew, they said.