Full coverage: EgyptAir Flight MS804 Missing

Authorities in Egypt have held an emergency press conference following the disappearance of EgyptAir Flight MS804.  

The country's Civil Aviation Minister, Sherif Fathy, said authorities tried and failed to resume contact with the plane after it vanished from the radar. He said the search operation was focused in an area near the Greek island of Karpathos. He confirmed no debris had been found so far. Fathy added he could not even confirm whether the plane had crashed.

The minister said there had been no known security issues with either the aircraft or any of the passengers but that further checks were needed. Fathy stressed it was too early to rule out either terrorism or a technical failure. But he did add it was likely the plane was brought down by a terrorist attack.

Meanwhile, the Egyptian Prosecutor General has ordered an urgent investigation into the incident.