Eyewitnesses have spotted bodies and an oil slick in waters near the Comoros Islands following the crash of a Yemen Airways flight with 153 people on board in the India Ocean early Tuesday, Yemeni officials said Tuesday.

"Some bodies were seen in the area of the crash," said Muhammed Abdul-Qadber, chairman of the Yemeni National Civil Aviation Association. "There is no further information available about the survivors."

The Airbus CM-300, was en route from Yemen to Moroni, the capital of the Comoros Islands, when flight controllers lost contact with the plane at 1.51 a.m. (23.51 GMT Monday). There were 153 people on board, including 11 crew members and three infants.

Reports out of France said there were 66 French nationals on board the plane. The flight had originated in France, with a stop in Yemen before proceeding to the Comoros, according to French media reports.

Abdul-Qadber could provide no more information about the nationalities of the passengers. He said the plane crashed in stormy weather with wind gusts reaching 161 km an hour. Eyewitnesses have already sighted bodies and an oil slick 16-17 nautical miles from the Moroni airport.

Investigation teams from Yemen Airways and the Yemen aviation authority plan to fly to Moroni Tuesday. French Navy units, including a frigate and military helicopters, have begun search and rescue operations. Comoros is located off the eastern coast of Africa between Madagascar and Mozambique. 

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