RECIFE, Brazil — Brazilian authorities started to identify bodies recovered from a downed Air France jet on Thursday, and the names of victims found 53 miles apart in the ocean could help prove whether the jet broke up in the air.
A Brazilian ship picked up three more bodies, raising the number recovered to 44, Brazilian Air Force Gen. Ramon Cardoso said. Rainstorms hit parts of the search area and bodies and debris were dispersed by currents, and Cardoso said Brazil’s aerial search was hindered by reduced visibility.
Flight 447 was packed with 228 people and because of that, passengers were likely in their assigned seats, officials said. Noting the position and injuries of bodies that are found may help investigators determine how the plane broke up.
