RECIFE , Brazil ( CNN ) -- Eight more bodies have been recovered from last week 's crash of an Air France jetliner in the Atlantic Ocean , bringing the total to 24 , Brazil 's military announced Monday . Recovery efforts have found several items confirmed to have come from Air France Flight 447 . The bodies were found floating about 440 kilometers ( 273 miles ) northeast of the Fernando de Noronha archipelago northeast of the Brazilian coast on Monday , military officials said Monday evening . Air France 447 disappeared over the Atlantic early June 1 . The jet was en route to Paris , France , from the Brazilian city of Rio de Janeiro with 228 passengers and crew aboard . The military said earlier Monday that 16 bodies had been recovered . Items found in the same area Saturday were confirmed to have come from the jet , including pieces of the aircraft 's wing section , luggage and a leather briefcase containing an airplane ticket with a reservation code for the doomed flight , Brazilian air force spokesman Jorge Amaral said . The exact location of the crash has not been determined , because ocean currents probably caused the bodies and debris to drift in the days since the crash . Two key pieces of evidence -- the flight data and cockpit voice recorders -- remain missing and could lie on the ocean floor . Map of Flight 447 's flight path » . The part of the ocean where the debris and bodies have been found ranges from 6,000 to 8,000 meters ( about 19,700 to 26,250 feet ) deep . The search area covers 200,000 square kilometers ( 77,220 square miles ) , an area nearly as big as the country of Romania . Watch CNN 's Karl Penhaul report on more bodies found » . Brazilian officials emphasized Monday that finding bodies was their priority . The French are in charge of finding the black boxes , and a submarine was en route as part of that mission . Fourteen aircraft -- 12 Brazilian and two French -- were participating , along with five Brazilian ships and one French frigate . In Washington , a U.S. defense official said the U.S. Navy will contribute two high-tech acoustic devices to listen for emergency beacons still operating in deep water . The `` towed pinger locators , '' which help search for emergency beacons on downed aircraft to a maximum depth of 20,000 feet , will be placed aboard two French tugs that are part of the search efforts , the official said . Recovery of bodies and debris is significant not only for families but also for crash investigators , said Mary Schiavo , a former inspector general for the U.S. Department of Transportation . `` Even if they do n't find anything else , they can get some very important clues from the pieces that they do find and from the human remains , '' she said Saturday . Watch an explanation of what could have caused the crash » . She said investigators would be able to tell whether there was an explosion from possible residue on the bodies or other items . Or , if water is found in the lungs of victims , investigators would know that the plane went down intact , she said . Investigators in Paris said Saturday that the Air France flight sent 24 automated error messages about four minutes before it crashed . The messages suggest the plane may have been flying too fast or too slow through severe thunderstorms it encountered before the crash , officials said . Schiavo said four minutes `` was a very long time '' for automated signals to be sent from the plane . Investigators also reported that the airline had failed to replace a part as recommended by the manufacturer , Airbus . Airbus had advised airlines to update part of the equipment that monitors speed , known as pitot tubes . The recommendation was a result of technological developments and improvements , an Airbus spokesman said . The change was not mandatory , and the spokesman would not comment on Air France 's failure to follow the advice . CNN 's Karl Penhaul , Richard Quest , Helena DeMoura and Barbara Starr contributed to this report .
NEW : Brazilian officials emphasize that finding bodies is their priority . Military says total number of bodies found stands at 24 . Plane disappeared over Atlantic Ocean last week . U.S. to contribute high-tech devices to look for plane 's emergency beacons .