WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Flight data suggested there were smoke alerts aboard EgyptAir Flight 804 minutes before it crashed in the Mediterranean Sea early on Thursday, CNN reported on Friday.

However, a U.S. official characterized the report as an unconfirmed rumor.

CNN said it obtained the data through a screen grab from an Egyptian source, and said the data came from an automatic system aboard the plane called the Aircraft Communications Addressing and Reporting System (ACARS).

ACARS routinely downloads flight data to the airline operating the aircraft. 

(Reporting by Eric Walsh and Mark Hosenball; Editing by David Alexander)