U.S. jet crashes in New York city

NEW YORK, NOV. 12. An American Airlines jetliner on its way to the Dominican Republic with 255 people aboard crashed moments after takeoff from the John F. Kennedy Airport in a residential neighborhood on Monday, setting homes on fire. There was no immediate word on the number of deaths or injuries.

Bush administration officials said that the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) believed an explosion occurred aboard the plane. The White House spokesman, Mr. Ari Fleischer, said there were no unusual communications from the cockpit of the plane.

A senior administration official, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said, ``It's looking like it's not a terrorist attack, but we can't reach a firm conclusion yet.'' The city - already on the edge after the September 11 terrorist attack - was put on high alert. Fighter jets were seen flying over the scene in the Rockaway section of the borough of Queens, in the southeastern part of New York City.

Flight 587, an Airbus A300, went down shortly after 9 a.m. (1400 GMT) in the waterfront neighborhood 24 km. from Manhattan, setting buildings on fire in a densely populated area that is home to many firefighters who were among the dead and the rescuers at the World Trade Center. A plume of thick, black smoke could be seen miles away and flames billowed high above the treetops.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said there were 246 passengers and nine crew members aboard the plane. The National Transportation Safety Board was designated the lead agency in the investigation, signaling that officials were leaning toward the theory that a catastrophic mechanical problem was at fault, the law enforcement source in Washington said.

In 1996, TWA Flight 800 left Kennedy Airport for Paris and crashed off Long Island, killing all 230 people aboard. The NTSB concluded the jet was destroyed by a fuel tank explosion, probably caused by a wiring spark.

Airports closed

All metropolitan area airports - Kennedy, LaGuardia and Newark, New Jersey - were closed after the crash, and international flights were diverted to other cities. All bridges and tunnels into the city were closed except to emergency vehicles, and the Empire State Building was evacuated.

In Washington, the President, Mr. George Bush, met with advisers, seeking details of the crash. An official said intelligence agencies, the FBI and the FAA were reviewing all recent intelligence for any signs that terrorism was involved.

At the Pentagon two defense officials, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said no additional fighters had been dispatched to the New York area and that the entire matter was being handled by the FAA as a domestic disaster with no apparent military implications.

U.N. meetings continue

At the U.N. headquarters, where Ministers from the 189 member States were gathered for the General Assembly, all vehicle and pedestrian entry was barred. Speeches continued as the U.N. security chief made an announcement about the crash and the security restrictions over the building's public address system.

``I have been asked by the Security Council to express our sincere and heartfelt sympathies to the people and the Government of the United States and the families of those who have lost their lives,'' Jamaica's U.N. Ambassador, Ms. Patricia Durrant, the current council president, told reporters before an open council meeting.

The Mayor, Mr. Rudolph Giuliani, cancelled his morning events and headed to the scene, where he said, ``People should remain calm. We're just being tested one more time and we're going pass this test, too.'' He added that there were no survivors from among the passengers of the plane.

Flights diverted

International flights headed to New York were diverted to Boston, Cincinnati and Washington's Dulles airport, Delta Air Lines said.

Witnesses reported an engine and other debris falling off the plane as it came down. Ms. Milena Owens, who lives two blocks from the crash site, said she was putting up Thanksgiving decorations on her window when she saw the plane. ``I heard the explosion and I looked out the window and saw the flames and the smoke,'' she said, ``and I just thought, `Oh no, not again'.''

The middle-class neighborhood - comprised largely of Irish, Italians and Jews - was already struggling to recover from the World Trade Center disaster. Neighbours said as many as 90 residents were killed in the Trade Center, most of them firefighters and employees at the Cantor Fitzgerald financial firm.

``We were still trying to bury a number of our heroes,'' said local resident, Mr. Gary Toms. ``This is going to compound the devastation for a lot of people to deal with.''

The plane was lying on top of about 12 homes, said Mr. Ed Williams, community liaison for Rep. Gregory Meeks. ``It's pandemonium here,'' he said. ``We don't know if there are any survivors but it looks really bad.''

Emergency medical centers were set up a high school and an elementary school, both of which were closed for the Veterans Day holiday. A hospital near the crash site said it treated about 15 people for smoke inhalation and several others for abrasions. All of the injured had been on the ground, not the plane, and none appeared to be critically injured.

In Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, relatives of passengers aboard the flight crowded the airport, sobbing and grasping each other after hearing of the crash. ``Not the child, please not the child,'' said Ms. Germania Brito, who was waiting for her sister, Ms. Mariana Flores, her sister's husband, Mr. John, and their 2- year-old son, Isaias. ``May God help us all.''

Stocks slump

Stock markets slumped and the dollar tumbled after news of the plane crash sparked fears of a new wave of terrorist attacks. Frankfurt share prices plunged over four per cent, while the London and Paris share markets both tumbled over three per cent.

In New York, the Dow Jones Industrial Average slid 1.72 per cent and the Nasdaq technology index shed 2.01 per cent.

Oil prices dropped further into loss, with the Brent North Sea crude for December delivery down 86 cents at $ 20.52 a barrel. The dollar fell to 120.10 yen from 120.74 in morning trade.

- AP, AFP

Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Section  : Front Page
Next     : Taliban foes six km. from Kabul