Search teams have recovered bodies and wreckage from the plane

The Brazilian military says it has ended its search for bodies from the Air France jet that crashed into the Atlantic almost a month ago.

Fifty-one bodies have been recovered since the plane went down on 1 June. A total of 228 people were on board.

A Brazilian spokesman said the recovery of any more of the bodies was "impossible".

But a French-led search for the plane's black boxes - which will emit signals until at least 2 July - will continue.

The cause of the accident has not yet been established. The Airbus 330 was flying from Rio de Janeiro to Paris when it plunged into the sea.

"It has been nine days since we have located bodies," Brazilian air force spokesman Lt Col Henry Munhoz told journalists.

Searchers had concluded that "it is impossible to recover more dead bodies or remains in the search area", he said.

Several French vessels, including a nuclear submarine, will continue to listen out for signals from the plane's flight recorders. They emit signals for at least 30 days after a crash.

The crash was the worst in Air France's history.

There has been speculation that faulty data on the old-style speed sensors may have been the cause, but French investigators have warned against drawing early conclusions.

An initial report by France's Investigation and Analysis Bureau (BEA) is to be released on 2 July.