SAHARA CRASH

Press, Volume C, Issue 29511, 12 May 1961, Page 13

SAHARA CRASH

78 Die On Airliner

(HZ Press Assn.—Copyright) ALGIERS, May 11. Eighteen babies and young children were among 78 persons who died In the biasing wreckage of an Air France Super Starliner which crashed in the Sahara Desert yesterday. The figure was given in a new provisional passenger list issued by the airline today. Earlier reports said that there were on'y 14 children on board. There were 69 passengers and nine crew aboard. Asked about rumours of possible sabotage of the plane —which was bound from Brazzaville in the (former French) Congo to a Sahara plateau—an Air Franee spokesman said: “We have not yet received any information to enable us even to guess at the cause.” An inquiry team today left Paris for the scene, north of Ediele. Most of the passengers were French or Africans, but among those listed are Mrs Lukens, the wife of the United States Charge d'Affaires in the Central African Republic, and her three children, who embarked at Bnnqui for Paris. Mos* of the Africans aboard, including 12 students, boarded the plane at Banqui, while most French passengers joined it at Fort Lamy. Two Cabinet Ministers of the Central African Republic were aboard. They were the Minister of Education. Mr Ahmed Manque, and the Minister for State, Mr Gouandjla Air authorities said the Suner Starliner was on course and had been flying at a normal height just before it reached the rocky plateau about 2000 feet above sea level where it crashed. But an Air France official said: The airliner should ro-mally have been flying at 20.500 ft over the spot where it was found.” Reports reaching Algiers said there was no warning from the aircraft of any trouble.