24 bodies, tail part recovered in Air France crash

Search crews have recovered 24 bodies of passengers on the Air France flight that crashed in the Atlantic Ocean eight days ago with 228 people on board, Brazil’s military said Monday. They also recovered a large tail section from the jetliner, helping narrow the hunt for “black boxes” that could reveal the disaster’s cause.

Air Force Col. Henry Munhoz says eight more bodies were found Monday, near where 16 others were recovered since Saturday – roughly 400 miles (640 kilometers) northeast of the Fernando de Noronha islands off Brazil’s northern coast, and about 45 miles (70 kilometers) from where the jet was last heard from on May 31.

Searchers must move quickly to find answers in the cockpit voice and data recorders, because acoustic pingers on the boxes begin to fade 30 days after crashes.

President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva said Brazil’s military would do all it can to recover bodies for grieving families. “During this painful time it’s not going to resolve the problem, but it is an immense comfort to know they can bury their loved ones,” he said on his national radio program Monday.