EgyptAir crash 'an accident', say French investigators

French investigators have ruled out the theory that suggests an EgyptAir plane that crashed into the Mediterranean in May 2016 was due to a bomb, reports said on Friday.

Investigators said there were no traces of explosives were found on the remains of French victims, which might lead to a conclusion of foul play.

The revelation "closes the door" on a theory advanced by Egypt that the Airbus A320 was blasted out of the sky as it made its way from Paris to Cairo, killing all 66 people on board, according to a source close to the investigation.

"There were no explosive charges" aboard the plane, the source said, because "no traces of powder were found" by police in samples taken from the remains of eight of the 15 French nationals killed.

EgyptAir MS804 disappeared from radar over the Mediterranean on May 19, crashing into the water between Crete and the coast of northern Egypt.

The long-awaited results were "recently" reported to the three investigating judges in charge of the case in Paris.

The findings "only serve to confirm the theory by French investigators since the beginning, that this was an accident and not an act of terror", the source said, adding that "this definitively closes the door on the claim of terrorism".

In December, an official Egyptian investigative committee had said it found traces of explosives on victims' remains, but French officials at the time refused to draw conclusions on the cause of the accident.

No group also came forward to claim responsibility for the crash, which also killed 40 Egyptians, including the 10-member crew.

French investigators have always favoured a mechanical fault as the crash cause, saying a fire broke out in or near the cockpit of the plane before it plunged 22,000 feet and swerved sharply before disappearing from radar screens.

"At this stage, the combustion or self-combustion of a tablet in the cockpit is the working hypothesis," the source said, but "elements" needed to prove it - such as debris from "the cabin or flight recorders" - "are in Egypt and the Egyptians have not shown a great willingness to collaborate".

Egyptian authorities had handed the remains to their families in January.

The plane airliner had also been carrying two Iraqis, two Canadians and one passenger each from Algeria, Belgium, the UK, Chad, Portugal, Saudi Arabia and Sudan.

Aviation experts have said there is little chance that a mechanical fault was responsible for the disaster.

The plane only entered service in 2003, making it relatively new for an aircraft that tends to have an operational life of 30 to 40 years.

It was flying at 37,000 feet (11,000 metres) and disappeared about 130 nautical miles off the Greek island of Karpathos.