Brazilian forensic experts have identified 11 bodies of people killed in an Air France A330 crash three weeks ago, Brazil`s federal police said on Monday.

Police in the northern Brazilian city of Recife said five men and five women from Brazil had been identified, along with a foreign man. The bodies are to be released to the families for burial.

Air France Flight 447 from Rio de Janeiro to Paris was carrying 228 passengers and crew when it lost contact with ground controllers about four hours into the flight. The crash is the worst in the airline`s 75-year history, and the world`s worst for almost a decade.

A total of 50 bodies have so far been recovered from the crash site 1,000 kilometers (600 miles) off Brazil`s northeast coast in the Atlantic Ocean.

Rescuers hope to find the Airbus`s black boxes that could hold clues as to the cause of the crash.

Although there has been no official information on the cause, authorities said autopsies performed on the bodies showed that there had been no explosion or fire on board the aircraft.

Experts have said the injuries sustained by the victims and the recovery of the largely intact tail fin suggested the airliner broke up in flight before crashing into the water.
sections: World News