6 more bodies found in jet crash

June 13, 2009, 7:24pm

RECIFE, Brazil (AP) — Six more bodies were recovered from the Atlantic Ocean where an Air France jet crashed, Brazilian officials said Friday, as the race to find the black boxes and gather key evidence from human remains and debris gained urgency.

On the coast, investigators examined corpses and received the first wreckage: Two plane seats, oxygen masks, water bottles, and several structural pieces, some no bigger than a man’s hand.

Almost two weeks after the crash, Brazil’s military said the search is becoming increasingly difficult and a tentative June 25 date for halting efforts has been set. Beginning Monday, officials will meet every two days to evaluate when to stop the search, depending on whether they are still finding bodies or debris.

The black boxes, whose emergency locator beacons begin to fade after 30 days, along with debris and bodies from the jet, all contain crucial clues as to how and why Air France Flight 447 went down en route from Rio de Janeiro to Paris.