Filipino on board plane that crashed off Atlantic

MANILA, Philippines - A Filipino seafarer was on board the Paris-bound Air France jet that crashed after flying into towering thunderstorms over the Atlantic Ocean on Monday. Foreign Affairs spokesperson Ed Malaya told GMANews.TV on Tuesday morning that the Filipino was among the 228 passengers on the plane that left Rio de Janeiro in Brazil on the evening of May 31. A separate DFA statement later in the day identified the Filipino as Arden Jugueta. [See: Manila-bound seaman feared dead in plane crash] Air France Airbus A330, a twin-engine, long-haul, medium-capacity passenger jet that can hold up to 253 passengers, crashed into the Atlantic Ocean shortly after it left the Galeao International Airport in Brazil, the DFA added. [See: Missing French jet hits turbulence over Atlantic] Montero said Brazil’s military and aviation authorities have sent search and rescue teams near the island of Fernando de Noronha, about 1,500 miles east of Rio de Janeiro, but have yet to find the plane and its passengers. [See: Vast search of Atlantic Ocean for Air France jet] If all 228 people were killed, it would be the deadliest commercial airline disaster since Nov. 12, 2001, when an American Airlines jetliner crashed in the New York City borough of Queens during a flight to the Dominican Republic, killing 265 people, an Associated Press report said. Aviation investigators were pondering on several theories on how the high-tech aircraft plunged into the depths of the Atlantic Ocean after reporting bad weather in its path. In a separate AP report, Brazil's largest airline, TAM, released a statement late Monday saying that pilots flying one of its commercial flights from Paris to Rio spotted what they thought was fire in the ocean along the Air France jet's route. [See: Investigators ponder what happened to Air France] Meanwhile, Air France officials are ensuring the loved ones of the missing passengers that they are doing their best to provide support for relatives and friends. "Medical and psychological assistance involving 15 specialist physicians has been set up at Paris-Charles de Gaulle 2 and Rio de Janeiro airports," Air France said in a statement. Aside from medical assistance, Air France has also provided 100 voluntary members as back-up teams in Paris-Charles de Gaulle and Rio de Janeiro. A toll-free number was given for relatives of the missing passengers: 0800 800 812 in France, 0800 881 20 20 in Brazil, and + 33 1 57 02 10 55 for calls from all other countries. The Airbus A330-200 first went into service in 1998 and can fly up to 7,760 miles (12,500 kilometers). There are 341 in use worldwide, flying up to 7,760 miles (12,500 kilometers) a trip. - Joseph Holandes Ubalde, GMANews.TV with AP