Most Of Crew Of Crashed Plane Are Rescued

Chronicle (Levin), 21 November 1949, Page 5

Most Of Crew Of Crashed Plane Are Rescued

■ (N.Z.P.A.-

—Reuter,

. Copyright )

Received Sunday, 7.30 p.m. NEW YORK, Nov. 19. Eighteen out of 20 oecupants of. the Superfortress bomber whieh rau out of petroi and crashlanded • in the Atlantie off the eoast of Beimmdc, have been rescued. A radio message flashed this aftemoon from a searching Plying Fortress said: "Survivors sighted in two large rafts. We are eircling the survivors." This marked a suecessful elimax to oue of the greatest peaee time air-sea searehes that has been going on since November 16. Guided by the Flying Fortress, the Canadian destroyer Haida, whieh was 15 miles away, ruslnd to the scene and rescued the eigh- ' teen United States Air Force officers and men. Two perished when the bomber went into the sea. The ilaida radioed that the men were in a weak condition — to ) weak to talk. The Haida is racing at full speed for Bermuda and is expected to arrive earlv tomorrow morning. More than 50 ships and 100 planes too'k part in the search. A Canadian-British task force bound for the West Indies for training operations, was diverted to assist in the search. The survivors were picked up 385 miles nortlieast of Bermuda. The huge search area was narrowed down when the wreckage was sighted.