Explosives traces found on bodies of EgyptAir flight MS804 victims

Traces of explosives have been found on the bodies of victims from EgyptAir flight MS804, which crashed into the Mediterranean in May, the Egyptian aviation ministry announced on Thursday.

The plane was travelling from Paris to Cairo in May when it disappeared from radar signals on 19 May, apparently without sending any distress call. All 66 people on board were killed.

An official investigation committee has referred the case to Egypt's state prosecution, the ministry said in a statement.

Le Figaro reported that French investigators found traces of explosive material TNT among the plane's debris but were prevented from further examining it. Egyptian authorities denied the claim.

In the wake of the crash there was speculation that terrorists may have brought down the plane, however in June, French prosecutors said they had found no terrorism links and that the inquiry would be an accident investigation.

Evidence from black box recorders recovered from the plane indicated that fire had been reported in the cabin before it crashed.

Automated electronic messages sent out by the plane showed smoke detectors going off in a toilet and in the avionics area below the cockpit, minutes before the plane vanished.

It came seven months after a bomb brought down a Russian plane over the Sinai desert in Egypt, killing all 224 people on board. Terror group Islamic State (Isis) claimed responsibility for the attack.