PARIS - The French agency probing the mid-Atlantic crash of an Air France jet said Thursday it would release an initial report on its findings on July 2.

The Investigation and Analysis Bureau (BEA) leading the technical inquiry into the June 1 crash of Flight AF 447 said it would present the report at a press conference at its headquarters in the Paris suburbs.

The cause of the loss of the plane and all 228 people on board as it flew from Rio de Janeiro to Paris is not known. Speculation has swirled about whether the plane broke up in the air or on hitting the water.

Air France said earlier Thursday that the plane's pilot and one of its stewards have been identified among the bodies pulled out of the sea.

Rescue teams have found 50 bodies and are continuing their search for wreckage and the dead.