Nearly two years after an Air France plane mysteriously fell out of the sky, killing 228 people, debris from the wreckage has been found with bodies still aboard, French officials said Monday.

The human remains will be brought to the surface and identified, French Ecology and Transportation Minister Nathalie Kosciusko-Morizet said at a news conference.

Submarines searching for the wreck spotted two engines, the fuselage and landing gear over the weekend, officials said.

Flight 477 mysteriously crashed into the Atlantic Ocean while en route from Rio de Janeiro to Paris, taking the lives of all 228 passengers and crew.

Multiple search efforts have failed to find the cause of the crash or the flight recorders that would help clarify the mystery of the plane’s descent.

The recovery of aircraft pieces from Flight 477, however, shines a new light on the case that has gained momentum after Air France was placed under formal investigation by a French judge last month.

The airliner currently faces involuntary manslaughter charges for the crash, but experts say that without flight data and voice recorders, it could be hard to establish fault. 

Air France and Airbus, which is also being charged by the French court, are financing the new search that is estimated to cost $12.5 million. The airliner is estimated to have spent around $28 million on the three previous searches.

This fourth search could last until July.

By Adriana Padilla for PeterGreenberg.com. This article has been updated to reflect new information as of April 5, 2011.

Related Links: CBS News, CNN

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