Possible debris from EgyptAir Flight 804 found southeast of Crete

Families of passengers who were flying in an EgyptAir plane that vanished from radar en route from Paris to Cairo react as they wait outside a services hall at Cairo airport on May 19, 2016. © Khaled Desouki

"There have been finds south-east of Crete, inside the Cairo flight information region," Greek army general staff spokesman Vassilis Beletsiotis told AFP.

The objects were plastic and colored red and white, Reuters reported earlier, citing defense sources. They were spotted some 370 km south of the Greek island of Crete, close to the spot where a transponder signal was emitted earlier.

Another Greek military official told AP that an Egyptian search plane also spotted two orange items in the same area. One of the items was oblong, the official said.

Greek state TV ERT also reported that two "orange-colored" objects were located in the same area and said they were lifejackets from the missing aircraft.

EgyptAir Flight 804 went missing early Thursday morning as it was en route from Paris to Cairo with 56 passengers and 10 crewmembers on board. The Airbus A320 disappeared just as it was flying from an area under Greek air traffic control to the Egyptian Flight Information Region.

Egypt, France and Greece deployed military aircraft and ships for a search operation in the area.

Investigators say no possible cause of the disaster can be ruled out yet, but the lack of a distress call from the plane indicates a possible bombing attack or a major technological failure that destroyed the aircraft in a matter of seconds.