UPDATE 1 (local time 15.40): Brazilian military aviation (Brazil Air Force) announced they have discovered metal pieces and seat remains belonging to an aircraft, Reuters informs. The remains have been found in Atlantic, 650 km North-East from North Brazilian island Fernando de Noronha. O Globo newspaper reads that the authorities did not confirm yet the parts belonged to the Air France Airbus that disappeared on Monday.

Brazilian Air Force spokesperson Jorge Amaral was quoted by France Presse to say that he could not confirm the found remains belonged to the Air France 447 aircraft.

The search continues. The authorities need a part inscribed with a serial number or a hint that would allow identifying the plane, Amaral said.

On Tuesday morning, the Senegal authorities found the remains of a plane in Senegal’s territorial waters, according to La Stampa.

Airbus A330 disappeared on Monday morning while it was flying over the Atlantic Ocean from Rio de Janeiro to Paris.

Pilots flying a Brazilian aircraft said they saw yellow spots that looked like flames in the ocean, under the route of the disappeared flight. The biggest Brazilian Air company TAM said one of their pilots saw "fire in the ocean" on the Air France aircraft route, according to Romanian press agency Mediafax.

The plane must have been struck by lightning say Air France communication department representatives. "It reached into a zone with strong turbulences that caused damages", they say.