Plane crash: A moment of national mourning

It's a nightmare for friends and families of the passengers on the Air France airline that crashed in the Atlantic on Monday -- a day later finally debris has been found.

Rio de Janeiro woke up to a gloomy start on Tuesday as the search continued for the remains of the Air France plane that went missing over the Atlantic Ocean with 228 on board.

Aviation experts are seeking explanations for the jetliner mystery and Brazilians throughout the country continued looking for answers as to what could have caused such a tragedy.

Worst crash ever for Air France as 228 people on board lost their lives, maximum number were French - 72. The flight disappeared from the radars leaving no trace of those on board, those who were awaited in Paris, leaving the country in shock.

France woke up to a Black Tuesday, a day after Air France flight AF 447 went missing.

The shock and horror is still fresh as everyone tries to unravel the mystery. Why there was no May Day call, no indication even of what may have happened.

"It's just the kind of unbearable thing we always fear and when it's Air France, a national airline so reliable, it's terrifying," said a French woman.

"It's also the notion of emptiness, where did the whole thing vanish? It's totally crazy," asked another woman in Paris.

This is Air France worst air disaster in its 70-year long history and a moment of national mourning.

For the loved ones rushed to Paris from neighbouring European countries, painful, they may have nothing left to retrieve here, battling with traumatic shock with the help of Air France volunteers and doctors and the answer to their question as to what went wrong even if found would barely ease the pain.