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19 said killed in plane crash in US
(AP)
Updated: 2005-12-20 08:40
A propeller-driven seaplane carrying 20 people crashed just off Miami Beach
of the United States within sight of the city's high-rises Monday, killing
at least 19 of those aboard, authorities said.
Witnesses said the plane exploded in flames as it came down, and the FBI
joined the investigation.
Scuba divers and rescuers in speedboats struggled to reach the victims, but
as evening fell, they found no sign that anyone survived.
A twin-engine Grumman G-73T Turbine Mallard
seaplane of Chalk's Ocean Airways arrives from Bimini with Miami's skyline
in the background Tuesday, Jan. 30,
1996.[AP/file] | The Chalk's Ocean Airways plane ¡ª a twin-engine Grumman G-73T Turbine Mallard
¡ª went down around 2:30 p.m. after taking off from Miami for the island of
Bimini in the Bahamas, the Federal Aviation Administration said. It hit the
water within sight of the beach.
The Coast Guard said 19 bodies were found. The plane was carrying two crew
members and 18 passengers, including three infants, authorities said.
Because of the witness reports of an explosion, the FBI sent agents to assist
in the investigation, but there was no immediate indication of terrorism or
sabotage, said Judy Orihuela, spokeswoman for the FBI's Miami field office.
The smoke trail from a Chalk's Ocean Airways
drops into the ocean Monday, Dec. 19, 2005 next to Miami Beach.
[AP] | "It's too soon to say whether we are going
to get involved," Orihuela said. "We're just going to check it out."
With many schools already closed in advance of the holidays and Christmas
week traditionally one of the biggest times of the year tourism, the beach was
relatively busy, and dozens of beachgoers saw the plane go down. Dozens more
gathered to watch the rescue.
As Coast Guard helicopers hovered over the crash site, some surfers remained
in the water, only a few hundred feet away. Some surfers used their boards to
rush toward the spot where the plane went down.
Sandy Rodriguez, 14, said he saw the plane flying low with white smoke
trailing from it and flames coming from the bottom. The right wing then fell off
as the plane went down, he said.
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