Yesterday, an Air France flight departing from Rio de Janeiro disappeared over the Atlantic, en route to Paris.

Of the 228 people on board, 58 were Brazilian and 61 were French, as well as passengers from all over the world, including North America, Europe, Asia, the Middle East, and Africa. There were 126 men, 82 women, and 8 children, including an infant. Amongst the passengers were Marcelo Parente, the Rio de Janeiro mayor’s chief of staff, Eirch Hein, a high level executive from Thyssen Krupp, Luis Roberto Anastacio, president of Michelin in South America, and Pedro Luiz de Orleans e Braganca, a Brazilian prince and descendant of the last Brazilian emperor.

It is unclear what caused the crash, though some speculate the plane was hit by lightning. Passengers on a later TAM flight claim to have seen fires burning and wreckage during their flight over the Atlantic, but the plane still has not been located. Brazilian and European authorities are searching for the plane by air and sea, though they do not expect to find survivors. Crisis control centers were set up in Rio and Paris to provide support for the victims’ families.

For complete coverage, see Globo and CNN.