EgyptAir black box confirms smoke on board

A travel agency in Cairo displays advertisements for EgyptAir.
(Image credit: Chris McGrath/Getty Images)

The Egyptian government announced Wednesday that the data recorder from EgyptAir 804 confirms smoke was detected in a bathroom and the avionics bay before the plane crashed into the Mediterranean Sea last month.

The Egyptian Aircraft Accident Investigation Committee said some of the wreckage recovered from the front of the plane showed signs of high temperature damage and soot, ABC News reports, and the preliminary data shows the flight data recorder cut off at an altitude of 37,000 feet. Experts say the findings point to the plane experiencing an electrical fire.

The Airbus A320 crashed May 19 on its way from Paris to Cairo, killing all 66 people on board.

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Catherine Garcia, The Week US

Catherine Garcia is night editor for TheWeek.com. Her writing and reporting has appeared in Entertainment Weekly and EW.com, The New York Times, The Book of Jezebel, and other publications. A Southern California native, Catherine is a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.