DUGI OTOK, CROATIA – A part of the aeroplane which crashed into the Adriatic Sea on Friday was found this morning at 8:20 hours near the Dugi Otok island, 6 nautical miles from the little island of Mezanj.

A smaller part of the plane, which shows visible insignia, was found which determines the possible crash location, Zadar Police Department confirmed.

The unsettled island of Mezanj and the surrounding area are being searched by a team that includes 4 Intervention police unit divers, police vessels, two Harbour Master`s Office vessels, the “Pilatus” planes of the Zadar Air Base, mine-sweeper of the Croatian Navy, while a helicopter of the Croatian Air Forces will also join them.

Two pilots were onboard the Pipper 44 Seminole Lufthansa plane: one Croatian and one Italian citizen. Off the record, the flight instructor Danijel Oleksa was a Croatian citizen and the Italian citizen was a student Alessandro D` Agatta.

On Friday night, due to limiting conditions, the search intensity was decreased, but the search continued this morning.

The plane went missing around 12 hours from the Zemunik Air Base radar, 40 kilometres off Zadar in the open sea North-West of the Dugi Otok island and radio contact with the crew was lost.

Between 16 and 17 hours, a large oil spill and scattered papers were found on the sea surface 7 nautical miles off the coast of Dugi Otok. Vessels and divers were urgently sent to the location, who are searching the sea bottom.

Lufthansa has been using the Zemunik Air Base to trail pilots from all over the world. The lecturers include Croatian citizens.