The body of a victim is brought to shore

BLANDFORD, Nova Scotia (CNN) -- A Swissair jetliner, with 229 people on board bound from New York to Geneva, Switzerland, crashed off the coast of Nova Scotia Wednesday evening. Swissair said Thursday there are no survivors.

A fisherman helping in the search described "a huge debris field" about three miles offshore and he said bodies have been found.

"We've seen parcels, seats, clothing and people," said fisherman John Campbell.

Canadian Broadcasting Corporation reporter Rob Gordon, who is on a rescue boat, said bodies were being found "every couple of minutes" and he has seen and heard no signs of survivors.

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Rob Gordon, CBC News, is on the scene: " ... it's almost a floating city with the number of boats out here now." AIFF or WAV (352 K / 27 sec. audio)
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Lingley describes the geography of the crash area AIFF or WAV (384 K / 32 sec. audio)
Nancy Rose of the CBC describes the difficult conditions on the water: "One of the police Zodiacs got caught on the rocks..." AIFF or WAV (256 K / 20 sec. audio)
"...they don't expect the pier is going to be big enough to accommodate all the bodies, sadly." AIFF or WAV (288 K / 23 sec. audio)

The first bodies were brought by boat into Peggy's Cove, a small fishing village, about four hours after the crash, according to CBC reporter Nancy Rose. Plastic has been draped over a pier where fishing boats are unloading the dead, she said.

Canadian rescue officials recovered 18 bodies early Thursday.

In Atlanta, Delta Air Lines spokesman Bill Berry confirmed that Delta passengers were on board the flight, which the two airlines share.

Witnesses reported debris from the downed aircraft spread over a wide area of ocean, including an oil slick and life preservers -- all illuminated by searchlights from coast guard cutters, helicopters and overflying aircraft.

Local fishing vessels helped comb the waters for possible survivors. But early Thursday, there were only reports of rescuers finding bodies and human remains in 61-degree waters.

Swissair Flight 111 took off from JFK International Airport at 8:30 p.m. EDT and was scheduled to land at 9:30 a.m. (3:30 a.m EDT) Thursday in Geneva, according to a spokeswoman for Swissair. A Swissair spokeswoman said the plane carried 215 passengers and 14 crew.

The plane was then scheduled to fly on to Zurich for its final stop.

"It went down less than an hour later," FAA spokeswoman Durcie Anderson said.

The MD-11 disappeared from radar Wednesday evening at 9:18 p.m. EDT about seven miles off the coast, south of Halifax, according to Canadian Coast Guard Lt. Cmdr. Mike Considine.

A spokesman for the Canadian Transportation Safety Board said air traffic controllers reported that the pilot radioed that smoke was in the cockpit.

Another official said information indicated the plane was attempting an emergency landing in Halifax because of the smoke.

Witnesses reported hearing an explosion and seeing a bright flash about the time the jet disappeared.

"We heard the sound of an engine going overhead and then shortly after we felt a large vibration on the house, almost as if someone was banging into the side of our house," said Linda Farmer, who lives near the coast in Blandford, Nova Scotia.

"There was quite a terrible explosion, but there was no flame that we could see," said Audrey Bachman, whose husband is a fisherman who is using his boat to help search.

Dozens of ambulances were assembled in the coastal area near where the plane is believed to have gone down.

A rescue boat searches the crash area

On hand at Kennedy airport were officials with the National Transportation Safety Board, the Federal Aviation Administration and the FBI. Also present were high-level New York City officials, including Mayor Rudolph Giuliani.

"We are giving our full attention to the incident and working right now very closely with the authorities on site and with the Canadian government," said Walter Vollenweider, Swissair's vice president for North and South America.

"We deeply regret this tragic accident, and our thoughts and prayers go to the family and relatives of our passengers."

A team of 10 investigators from the National Transportation Safety Board was to depart Washington's National Airport at 5 a.m., according to NTSB spokesman Matt Furman. Canadian aviation officials will be in charge of the crash probe, however.

In Geneva, weeping relatives of passengers and crew began to arrive at Cointrin airport on Thursday after news of the disaster was broadcast on local radios.

Airport manager Daniel Teysseire told Reuters a special reception center had been set up where relatives would be offered psychological counseling.

Rescue workers on the beach at Peggy's Cove

The Geneva-New York route is regularly used by officials of the United Nations and other international agencies based in Geneva, the world body's European headquarters. Bankers from Geneva's extensive private banking sector are also frequent passengers.

Relatives also rushed to John F. Kennedy airport.

Swissair chief financial officer Georges Schorderet told Reuters at Geneva's Cointrin airport, "There is no indication of a terrorist attack."

In Atlanta, Berry said 53 Delta Air Lines passengers and one Delta flight attendant were aboard the jet, which was a code-sharing flight. That meant Delta had sold its passengers seats on the Swissair jet.

He said many of the Delta passengers were likely to have been U.S. citizens. although he had no specific breakdown of the passengers aboard.

Friends and family members from within the United States and Canada inquiring about passengers on the flight should call 1-800-801-0088.

The Swissair spokeswoman told CNN the MD-11 was built in August 1991.

The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.