Brasilia - The Brazilian Air Force (FAB) found Wednesday in the Atlantic Ocean more metallic debris - including a 7-metre- diametre fragment - of the Air France Airbus A330-200 that went missing early Monday with 228 people on board.

According to Brazilian civil aviation spokesman Jorge Amaral, the wreckage was spotted by radars on an FAB plane and was then seen by others among the 11-aircraft team that was looking for the missing plane.

The area was about 90 kilometres distant from where other fragments of the airliner were found Tuesday.

Beyond the metallic objects, Brazilian search teams deployed in the area found a 20-kilometre fuel spill.

The removal of debris was set to start within hours, as soon as the five ships deployed by the Brazilian Navy arrive in the region. The first of them, the patrol boat Grajaú, arrived early Wednesday in the area and was soon to be joined by others.

Although there was no longer any doubt that the airliner crashed onto the ocean, Amaral said that Brazilian authorities could not yet completely rule out the possibility of finding survivors.(dpa)