Relatives of the 228 of the victims of Air France Flight 447, which disappeared over the Atlantic off the Brazilian coast in June, participated in a memorial service in the city of Rio de Janeiro on Saturday.

Reporting from Rio de Janeiro, FRANCE 24’s Mark Burleigh said the relatives were present for the unveiling of a memorial erected in the Rio beachside suburb of Leblon, which comprised of 228 transparent birds to symbolize the people who perished in the crash. Some relatives were then to throw wreaths into the sea.

The Paris-bound flight left Rio de Janeiro late May on 31 and disappeared off the radar somewhere above the Atlantic. The Airbus A330 was carrying 216 passengers and a crew of 12 on board. They came from 32 countries and included 72 French citizens, 58 Brazilians and 26 Germans.

“It’s a very symbolic moment for the 500 relatives who have turned up for the service,” said Burleigh. “Air France wants this to be a moment of closure, a moment where the mourning that has gone on for five months not quite comes to an end, but starts to heal a little.”

Many of the relatives had been flown in from Europe by the airline to attend the ceremony, which was closed to the press.

‘Palpable anger’ among victims’ relatives

But more than five months after the disaster, the worst in Air France's 75-year history, the cause of the crash has still eluded investigators.

Despite the recovery of 50 bodies and some wreckage from the plane, an intensive search failed to find the "black boxes" which could give clues as to what made the aircraft plunge into the sea during thunderstorms at night. The boxes are believed to be somewhere on the ocean floor at extreme depths.

Relatives have been frustrated by the lack of progress of the crash investigation, according to Burleigh. “There’s still a very palpable anger on the part of the families,” said Burleigh. “There’s a concern that they’re not getting all the information about what’s going on. They’re turning up for this ceremony today, but it’s not a closure for them.”