Debris from the missing EgyptAir Flight MS804 has been discovered floating in the Mediterranean Sea, Egyptian officials say.

Greek Defence Minister Panos Kammenos said a body part, two seats and at least one item of luggage have been found in the Mediterranean near Greece’s Karpathos island, around 290km (180 miles) from Alexandria.

The search effort, which includes military units from Egypt, Greece, France, and the UK, is now focused on recovering the plane;s flight recorders, which should provide an insight into what caused the crash.

The Airbus A320 was flying from Paris to Cairo with 56 passengers and 10 crew and security when it disappeared from radar screen early on Thursday morning.

The last radar signals from the plane showed it made two sharp turns before dropping 25,000ft and likely plunging into the sea.

French Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault said there has been “absolutely no indication” that the crash was the result of a terrorist act, but Egypt says that the crash was more likely the result of terrorism than technical or pilot error.

French President Francois Hollande said:

“We will draw conclusions when we have the truth about what happened.

“Whether it was an accident, or whether it was – and it’s something that is on our minds – terrorism.”

In October, a bomb was detonated aboard a Russian Metrojet plane over Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula, killing all 224 people on board. A group affiliated with the Islamic State claimed responsibility for the bomb, and vowed to target Egypt in other attacks.