Hundreds of mourners have gathered to offer prayers for the 66 passengers and crew killed in the EgyptAir disaster. Family,
friends and colleagues held back tears as the Imam led prays for their
salvation at the Al Sedeq mosque close to Cairo International Airport
where the doom jet had been due to land.
The
hour-long Friday prayers ended with pall bearers carrying a symbolic
coffin for the missing bodies out of the sprawling complex.
Outside,
family members told of their shock at the sudden disappearance of
passenger jet, while colleagues praised the professionalism of the crew.
Ahmed Asem, the father of co-pilot Mohamed Mamdouh Ahmed Asem, was overwhelmed by messages of condolence.
Mohamed's
cousin, Hizam Asem told MailOnline: 'Mohamed was a very, very good
pilot. He was the best in his class. He was very skilful.
'Ever
since he was a little boy he had wanted to fly a plane. And finally he
was realising his dream. He was just a young man of 27 but he was living
the life he had always wanted.'
Ahmed Asem is consoled by members of the Al Sedeq mosque where they held the hour-long Friday prayers for the missing
Hizam Asem (left), the uncle, and Hisam Asem, the cousin of the EgyptAir co-pilot attend the Friday prayers at the mosq
Ahmed Asem (centre), the father of co-pilot Mohamed Mamdouh Ahmed Asem,
was overwhelmed by messages of support as he visited the Al Sedeq mosque
close to Cairo International Airport to pray for his son and the other
65 people on flight MS804
Friends and relatives of the EgyptAir crew console each other outside Al Sedeq Mosque in Cairo
The family of co-pilot Mohammad Mamdouh Assem had sacrificed everything so could fulfill his lifelong dream of becoming a pilot
The
co-pilot's uncle Hisam Asem added: 'Mohamed loved his job. He loved
being a pilot. He introduced me to Captain Mohamed Said Ali Ali
Shoukair. He was a very nice man, a very good pilot. Grief-stricken air-hostesss Rasha Al Saandy and Shereen Fouad hugged each other in support outside the mosque
Rasha
Al Saandy told MailOnline: 'I knew Captain Shoukair and some of the
crew. They were the best colleagues anyone could hope for.
'I
did not know the younger air hostesses Samar [Ezz Eldin] or Yara Hany
because they had not been working on but [steward] Haietham Elzazizi was
my best friend. He was so funny, he was always smiling and laughing.
'Since I heard what happened I cannot sleep, I cannot sleep.'
Shereen Fouad added: 'This is so terrible. I cannot imagine how this has happened.'
At another emotional service, the father of Captain Mohamed Said Ali Ali Shoukair collapsed in grief for his missing son.
Distraught
Bahgat Shoukair was unable to stand during the absent funeral service
for his pilot son Mohamed following Friday prayers in his home city of
Badrashin, south of Cairo.
Frail
Mr Shoukair could only sit in a chair throughout the service at the
Yusef mosque, being too weak to stand and knee as is customary in Muslim
prayers.
Devastated: A mourner wipes away a tear during Friday prayers for the passengers and crew killed in the EgyptAir disaster
Members of the Al Sedeq Mosque in Cairo pray for the crew members of the
crashed EgyptAir plane as at emotional service near Cairo
Family, friends and colleagues held back tears as the Imam led prays for their salvation at the Al Sedeq mosque near Cairo Airport
Members of the Al Sedeq Mosque in Cairo console friends and relatives
of the co-pilot of the EgyptAir plane which crashed yesterday
However the father was able to shake hands with people who offered him their condolences for the loss of his son.
'Bahgat Shoukair was distraught,' one onlookers told Egyptian internet news service Video 7.
'He
could not stand up. He had to sit on a chair. He could only shake hands
with people. After the prayer service his relatives carried him to his
home.'
The
captain's uncle, Shihab Shakir, told Youm7: 'The information we
received is the same as what they said on TV. They remained tight lipped
about what happened.
'If
there was anything, he would have known because he's not an
inexperienced pilot. He's very experienced and all his managers and
bosses say that he is one of the best pilot's in Egypt.
'[The
last time I spoke with him] he called and asked if I needed anything,
if I wanted him to bring me anything when he comes back, but then he
said his flight would be late.
BRITON WHO CHEATED DEATH BECAUSE HIS WORK TRIP TO EGYPT WAS CANCELLED AT THE LAST MINUTE SO HE DIDN'T BOARD DOOMED FLIGHT
A British man is lucky to be alive after a work trip to Cairo was cancelled at the last minute.
Father-of-two
Ian Phillips, from Peterborough, was supposed to be on the doomed
EgyptAir Flight MS804 that plunged into the Mediterranean Sea killing
all 66 people on board.
But in an astonishing turn of events the work trip was called off just hours before he was set to board the flight.
‘It didn’t really sink in how lucky I was until yesterday afternoon,’ he told MailOnline today.
+45
Father-of-two Ian Phillips, from
Peterborough, was supposed to be on the doomed EgyptAir Flight MS804
that plunged into the Mediterranean Sea killing all 66 people on board.
Pictured with his daughter Zoe, who is pregnant, and son Bryn
‘I’m very relieved and very grateful that I am still here. Luckily I didn’t even get near the airport.
‘It took me a few hours to realise the seriousness of it.’
The
48-year-old, who is also about to become a grandfather, works at a
courier firm that requires him to hand-deliver sensitive documents
around the world.
He
gladly accepted the job which would have seen him fly from London City
airport to Charles De Gaulle airport in Paris before getting the
connecting flight on to Cairo International.
I’m very relieved and very grateful that I am still here. It took me a few hours to realise the seriousness of it.
And
he was only mildly relieved when the client cancelled, saving him a
trip that would have involved several nights away from home.
But
it was only when he arrived at the London office of CMS Network and saw
the news of the missing plane that he realised quite how lucky he had
been.
He added: ‘On the one hand I feel quite lucky and grateful and on the other it all seems a bit surreal.
‘I
didn’t know which flight they were going to put me on until I got into
the office. Just before the client cancelled, they couldn’t find any
direct flights from the UK and that was looking like the best option.
‘Just for once I’m quite pleased the client cancelled.’
Although
he often flies to Europe for work, Mr Phillips rarely travels further
afield than Zurich or Switzerland – as most of CMS Network’s clients are
in the banking sector.
Still reeling from discovering his near-miss, Mr Phillips turned to social media to come to terms with the shock.
‘I
got to work yesterday morning to be asked if I would be happy to
deliver a package to Cairo,’ he posted on Facebook, following news of
the flight's disappearance.
‘Of course, said I, and by 9.45am I was on my way back to Peterborough to get my passport and pack a bag.
‘Thankfully our client cancelled at the last minute so I didn’t go but can you guess which flight I was due to travel on.’
Friends have described his experience as ‘sobering’ and a ‘close shave’.
Others have recommended he ‘do something you were putting off – have a big holiday, down a pint, or something like that!’
But he said his near-miss hasn’t put him of flying to Cairo for work again if it was needed.
'He
was always inviting all his colleagues at the company and he would
bring them together and take them for meals and fix their problems. He
didn't have any problems with any one.'
The
services were held has search crews revealed they had found a severed
arm, luggage and a two-mile-long oil slick in the Mediterranean.
The
news will deal a devastating blow to families who are holding out a
glimmer of hope their loved ones may have survived the crash.
The
Egyptian military discovered wreckage around 180 miles north of the
coastal city of Alexandria and are now sweeping the area for the plane's
black box recorders which could hold the key to the plane's mysterious
disappearance.
Greek
Defence Minister Panos Kammenos said a body part, two seats and
suitcases were found in the search area, slightly to the south of where
the aircraft had vanished from radar.
Greek journalist Liana Spyropoulou later said Mr Kammenos revealed the body part was an arm.
A
two-mile oil slick has also been spotted 20 miles south-east of the
plane's last location by the European Space Agency's Sentinel-1A radar
satellite.
Egyptian
President Adbel Fattah al-Sisi, meanwhile, offered condolences to
families of those on board, amounting to Cairo's official confirmation
of their deaths.
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