French locate third body after Airbus crash

updated 6:52 p.m. ET Dec. 1, 2008

PERPIGNAN, France - Searchers have found a third body following the crash of an Airbus A320 passenger jet off France's southern coast. Four others are missing and feared dead.

State prosecutor Jean-Pierre Dreno said divers pulled up the remains around midday Monday while searching for the full wreckage of the jet.

The plane was on a maintenance flight when it plunged into the Mediterranean on Thursday.

The aircraft had been leased to charter airline XL Airways Germany. Air New Zealand, which owned the plane, said two Germans and five New Zealanders were on board.

Air New Zealand said in a statement the two flight recorders recovered from the crash site over the weekend were so badly damaged they have to be sent to the manufacturer, Honeywell, in the United States to see if any data can be extracted from them.

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