Air France is reporting that they have lost all communication with one of their jets (Flight 447) traveling from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil to Paris, France.  There was a total of 228 people on board when the flight left Brazil.

The plane was carrying 216 passengers and 12 crew members, she said. Other reports said three technical personnel were also aboard.

A Brazilian Air Force spokesman, quoted by The Associated Press, said that the plane disappeared over the Atlantic Ocean and a search was under way near the Brazilian island of Fernando de Noronha. The plane disappeared about 186 miles northeast of the coastal Brazilian city of Natal and near Fernando de Noronha, the spokesman said.

Officials are hoping for the best but extremely worried that the flight did not land when scheduled.

Initial indications were that the plane, an Airbus A330, encountered severe turbulence off the coast of Brazil, people who were briefed on the situation said Monday. They said they did not know whether this contributed to the plane’s disappearance.

The plane was scheduled to arrive in Paris at 9:10 a.m. local time. It disappeared off radar at 2:10 a.m. local time. The plane was operated by Air France and apparently did not share a flight code with Delta Air Lines, the American carrier that shares flights and routes with Air France.

“We are very worried,” said an aviation official in Paris interviewed by Agence France-Presse. “The plane disappeared from the screens several hours ago. It could be a transponder problem, but this kind of fault is very rare and the plane did not land when expected.”

Hopefully this flight is ok and will reappear safely in Paris. Our thoughts and prayers go out to those on board and their families.

UPDATE: The flight was likely struck by lightning.

Air France Flight Status Remains Unknown