EgyptAir crash victims' remains to be returned to families
December 18, 2016
Egypt's state prosecutor ordered the remains of the victims of the doomed flight be returned to their families. Traces of explosives were found on the victims.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/TASS/T. Belyakova
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Egyptian authorities will return the remains of the passengers aboard an EgyptAir flight that crashed in May to their respective families.
EgyptAir Flight 804 was en route from Paris to Cairo when it crashed into the Mediterranean Sea. All 66 on board the Airbus A320 aircraft were killed, which included 40 Egyptians and 15 French nationals.
France welcomed Saturday's decision from the Egyptian state prosecutor. "This is an important decision which the families have been looking forward to and the urgency of which has been stressed a number of times in recent months by the French authorities," said the French foreign ministry in a statement.
Egyptian authorities will coordinate the transfer of the victims to each of their respective embassies. People from nine other countries were on the airliner.
Traces of explosives
The Egyptian aviation ministry determined Thursday that the victims of the crash had traces of explosives on their persons. However, France's air safety agency said it was not possible to determine the cause of the crash from the samples.
Investigators determined a fire broke out in or near the cockpit before the plane crashed. No distress signal was received from the plane.
kbd/kl (AFP, dpa)
If we could fly like a falcon in the wind...
Well over 100 years ago, Otto Lilienthal was studying birds to learn the basics of aviation. Nowadays, researchers in Munich are using falcons as learning material - to make better planes and drones.
Image: picture alliance/dpa/S. Hoppe
The falcon soars
A strong breeze whips through the tunnel, and a falcon spreads its wings. It soars against the wind, and all the while 10 high speed cameras capture its every movement.
Image: picture alliance/dpa/S. Hoppe
Spectacular images
Each of the cameras takes 1,000 images per second of the falcon's flight, giving the researchers at Munich's Institut für Strömungsmechanik und Aerodynamik much to study. That's Helmut Achatz, falcon expert, in the background.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/S. Hoppe
Bird as role model
The scientists will analyze the flight data of these falcons for new insights as they endeavor to create better planes and drones. For the latter, in particular, the soaring flight of the falcon is seen as an ideal model.
Image: picture alliance/dpa/S. Hoppe
High velocity
Falcons are known as some of the world's fastest birds. At around one kg in weight and with a wing span of about one meter, they can reach speeds of up to 300 km/h during nosedive.
Image: Hannes Lenhart
Inspiring pioneers
For human aviation, birds were important from the very beginning. Otto Lilienthal, the father of aviation, learned valuable lessons from storks. This was Lilienthal's famous flight from Berlin's Fliegeberg.
Perfect feathers
It's also their brown-white coat that make falcons so perfect for observation purposes, according to falcon training. This means researchers don't have to apply any additional marking to the animals.
Image: picture alliance/dpa/S. Hoppe
Sharp eye?
For the researchers at Munich and the Bundeswehr University, the analysis of these falcons will continue throughout the year, before their results will be published.
