Flight MS804 'was on fire BEFORE it crashed': Leaked data shows 'smoke alarms were sounding in the plane's toilets for almost THREE MINUTES as the disaster unfolded'
Leaked data indicates smoke alarms were sounding on board EgyptAir Flight MS804 before it crashed into the sea
Hundreds of mourners gathered to offer prayers for victims of EgyptAir flight which crashed in the Mediterranean
Father of the co-pilot was overwhelmed by messages of condolence as imam led emotional service for the missing
Captain's father collapsed with grief at another vigil in his home city near Cairo where doomed jet was due to land
Heartbreaking details beginning to emerge about passengers and crew whose lives were cut short on Airbus A320
Horror for relatives as Egyptian army find body parts and wreckage in sea 180 miles north of the city of Alexandria
By Nick Fagge In Cairo and Simon Tomlinson and Imogen Calderwood
Leaked data has reportedly emerged indicating that Flight MS804 was on fire before it crashed, as smoke alarms were sounding for almost three minutes before it began its rapid descent.
The new information suggests that a fire on board the EgyptAir plane is a more likely reason for the crash than a bomb, although experts have not ruled out the use of an 'incendiary device'.
While Egyptian officials continue saying that they suspect terrorism, no group has yet come forward to claim credit as theories as to the cause of the crash continue to circulate.
It comes as hundreds of mourners gathered to offer prayers for the 66 passengers and crew killed in the EgyptAir disaster.
The leaked data was filed through the Aircraft Communications Addressing and Reporting System (ACARS), a data link for sending messages between planes and ground facilities.
An ACARS screen grab published by air industry website The Aviation Herald shows time stamps that appear to match the time the aircraft lost contact with controllers.
According to the leaked data, smoke alarms in the lavatory behind the cockpit first began sounding at 00.26GMT. Less than a minute later, smoke was also detected in the avionics [electronics].
The final two alerts from the plane indicate faults with the FCU - the flight control unit used by the pilot to input instructions into the flight computer - and the SEC 3 - the computer that controls the plane's spoilers and elevator computers.
The Aviation Herald claimed to have received the data from three independent channels, which were unidentified, but there has as yet been no official confirmation.
The ACARS screen grab provided information about smoke and heat on a window near the co-pilot and in the lavatory, which was behind the cockpit, according to CNN aviation analyst David Soucie.
'If there's fire on board the aircraft, in this area which the ACARS indicates, then something was close to the cockpit,' Mr Soucie said.
"It could have been either something mechanical that had failed, a short circuit, or it could have been an incendiary device of some kind as well."
David Soucie, aviation analyst for CNN
'It could have been either something mechanical that had failed, a short circuit, or it could have been an incendiary device of some kind as well.'
ACARS does not provide a cause of the crash, but Mr Soucie said it was significant that the data was sent over a period of one to two minutes.
'Now if it it was a bomb, the characteristic bomb... would have ruptured the skin of the aircraft,' he said.
'This is not the indication you would have had, because a bomb that would do that would be instantaneous, and these reports would not have gone over two minutes like they do.'
The analyst added that a fire in the front section of the plane may well have affected the communications equipment.
Meanwhile, 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 skillful.
'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.'
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.
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.
'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."
Ian Phillips
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.
