An Air Bus travelling from Rio de Janiero to Paris has disappeared over the Atlantic.

The Air France plane has 228 people onboard while contact was lost more than 4 hours into flight last night.

BBC reports said after passing through storms and turbulence, the plane sent an automatic signal indicating an electrical short circuit.

Relatives of the passengers have started to arrive at the airport where the atmosphere is filled with horror, worry, hope and expectation.

A rescue mission which includes French and Brazilian military planes is underway while French President Nicholai Sarkozy, through an interpreter, said chances of finding survivors are slim at this stage.