Air France plane disappeared over the Atlantic

• little hope remained that any of 228 people on board would be found alive
• Air France flight AF 447 disappeared early Monday four hours into its 11-hour flight from Rio de Janeiro to Paris after the Airbus A330 encountered severe turbulence over the Atlantic and reported technical failures
• Officials said there was little hope of survivors from what appears to be the worst air accident in over a decade.
• A daytime search by eight Brazilian air force aircraft turn up anything in the area being searched: a zone 1,100 kilometers (680 miles) off its northeastern coast
• search was being continued overnight with a Hercules C130 fitted with equipment to try to detect the plane's emergency beacon,
• another aircraft with onboard radar, and
  
• if weather conditions permit, infrared gear that could detect bodies in the water
• aircraft had sent a series of error messages shortly after crossing an area of major turbulence
• "A succession of a dozen technical messages" sent by the aircraft around 0215 GMT showed that "several electrical systems had broken down" which caused a "totally unprecedented situation in the plane," said Pierre-Henry Gourgeon