MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

AF 447: Brazil families demand crash probe

All 228 passengers and crew aboard the Air France flight were killed

Relatives of Brazilian victims of the Air France crash in the mid-Atlantic earlier this year have called for a criminal investigation to be opened into the incident.

An organisation representing the victims' relatives filed a petition with the Brazilian attorney-general on Wednesday demanding “an investigation against the possible culprits of the accident”, the Agencia Brazil news service reported.

Air France Flight 447 crashed on June 1 on its way to Paris from Rio de Janeiro, killing all 228 people on board including 58 Brazilian nationals.

A search that lasted almost a month recovered only 56 bodies.

According to the families' petition the investigation should “define penal responsibilities” in the crash because, they say, Air France ignored “indications of diverse failures” in the aircraft's controls.

'Crime committed'

Nelson Faria Marinho, the head of the association representing the families, said the investigation into the crash, conducted by France's bureau of accident investigations – the BEA - was implemented with no input from the Brazilians.

“We are asking the Brazilian authorities to follow this investigation and open a criminal process because a crime has been committed,” he told local media.

Flight 447 crashed during stormy weather in an area of the Atlantic ocean around 1,450km off northeastern Brazil.

No emergency communications were received from the aircraft and an extensive sea search failed to recover the aircraft's “black box” voice and data recorders.

A French oceanographic ship “Pourquoi Pas”, which had been leading the search for the recorders, was expected in Senegal on Thursday after calling off final efforts to locate and retrieve the recorders.

French investigators have said they will gather an international team of experts to continue the investigations into the cause of the crash, although they have given no further details. (Agencies)