Le Figaro says French investigators have ruled out theory that bomb was responsible for disaster last May that killed 66 people

This article is more than 3 years old

This article is more than 3 years old

French investigators have found no traces of explosives on the bodies of French victims of Egyptair flight MS804 that crashed into the Mediterranean last year en route from Paris to Cairo, a newspaper has reported.

Le Figaro’s report, which a source with knowledge of the matter confirmed to Reuters, contradicts Egyptian investigators who said in December that traces of explosives were found in the remains of victims of the flight.

Egyptair flight 804: future black boxes should eject in crash, says Airbus Read more

French officials had warned in December against drawing conclusions on the cause of the 19 May 2016 crash that killed all 66 people on board including 12 French nationals.

Investigators of France’s National Gendarmerie Criminal Investigation Institute, who examined samples of the remains, concluded there were no traces of explosives on the bodies of the passengers, Le Figaro reported.

“The thesis put forward by the Egyptians – an explosion during the flight due to a bomb that may have been placed on board at Roissy airport in Paris – is therefore excluded,” Le Figaro said.

The remains of the 12 French nationals were returned to France in January.