An SOS message has been launched by the missing EgyptAair A320 passenger plane, Egypt's civil aviation ministry said on Thursday, according to TASS news agency.
"The military received an SOS message from the plane emergency devices," it said.
The Egyptian civil aviation ministry has confirmed that A320 passenger jet of EgyptAir airline flying from Paris to Cairo has crashed, Sky News Arabiya TV channel reported.
The airline said the distress signal was received at 04:26 am local time, when the aircraft went missing from radars and a search for it was set up.
The plane disappeared 10 miles into Egyptian airspace while flying at around 11,000 meters. The jet disappeared from radars at 2:45 am local time, 20 minutes before its due landing time.
There were 56 passengers and 10 crew reportedly onboard. According to the passenger list provided by EgyptAir, 15 French citizens and 30 Egyptians were on the plane, along with citizens of UK, Belgium, Iraq, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Chad, Portugal, Algeria, Canada.