Ahmed Helal Was Identified As A Victim Of EgyptAir

Early Thursday, EgyptAir flight MS804 from Paris to Cairo disappeared from the radar with 66 people on board. The flight, which was supposed to land at 2:40 a.m local time was reported missing around 5:27 a.m. local time, and is since believed to have crashed in the Mediterranean. The reason behind the flight's disappearance is unknown, although officials are not ruling out terrorism, and suggested that the missing flight is more likely due to terrorism than to a technical error. One of the victims has been identified as Ahmed Helal, a 40-year-old plant manager of Procter & Gamble in France's Amiens region in the north. Update: Egyptian military officials found debris and personal belongings from the EgyptAir flight 804 in the Mediterranean Sea early Friday morning.

According to Buzzfeed, a P&G spokesperson confirmed Helal's death in a statement that read, "Unfortunately, we are able to confirm that Ahmed Helal was in the EgyptAir flight that crashed in the Mediterranean Sea last night. This is a very difficult moment for all P&G people, especially for employees of Amiens’ site. Our priority today is to fully support Mr Helal’s family during this very difficult time and all P&G employees who are very much affected by this tragedy."

The Amiens website also released a statement on their website expressing their condolences on behalf of the mayor and city council.

According to Helal's LinkedIn profile, he has worked with P&G for the last 16 years after graduating from the American University in Cairo in 2000 with a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering. He became a site manager at the Amiens site in June 2014. Helal was from Alexandria, Egypt and was also married, according to his Facebook profile. He was on the flight to Egypt on Wednesday to be with his father, who is ill.

French politicians have taken to Twitter to express their condolences for Helal and his family during this time. Barbara Pompili who serves with the Ministry of Environment, Energy, and the Sea wrote:

"All my thoughts are with the friends and family of Ahmed Helal, director of the Procter & Gamble Amiens site, who tragically died tonight."

The Vice President and General Manager of P&G France, Belgium, Netherlands, and Luxembourg, Christophe Duron expressed his sadness for the loss of Ahmed Helal, and said, "Ahmed wasn't just a bright site director, Ahmed was above all a great human being." He was also close to the people he worked with, who expressed great sadness on Thursday for his loss, and sent their condolences to his family.

Images: LinkedIn