US Secretary of State John Kerry pledged continued support from Washington for Cairo in the ongoing hunt for an EgyptAir plane that crashed in the Mediterranean on Thursday, the State Department has said.

During a telephone call with his Egyptian counterpart Sameh Shoukry on Friday, Kerry offered condolences for the lives lost in the crash of the Airbus 320.

"He pledged continued US support for the investigation and search effort," the department said in statement.

It added that both leaders "promised to stay in close contact as the investigation progresses."

Sixty six passengers and crew, including 30 Egyptians, were killed when the plane crashed in the Mediterranean while en route from Paris to Cairo on Thursday.

The passenger jet dropped off radar screens shortly after leaving Greek airspace. Egyptian authorities confirmed they had found parts of the plane debris as well as human remains in the Mediterranean north of Alexandria on Friday.