Malaysian crash clues sought<\/p>\n
TAWAU, Malaysia (Reuter): Investigators were sifting through
\nthe wreckage of the Malaysian Airlines' Fokker 50 yesterday for
\nclues to the crash that killed 34 people, officials said.<\/p>\n
Officials from the Department of Civil Aviation, Malaysia
\nAirports, Malaysian Airlines System (MAS), the police and fire
\nservices searched the scene of Friday's crash at Tawau on the
\nnortheastern tip of Borneo Island in the Malaysian state of
\nSabah.<\/p>\n
Officials said 19 of the 53 people onboard the Fokker survived
\nthe crash, while nine squatters were injured, two critically,
\nwhen the plane ploughed into their houses.<\/p>\n
\"We are gathering evidence. But we have not yet analyzed it,\"
\nsaid Capt. Syed Zainal Mohamad of the Department of Civil
\nAviation.<\/p>\n
Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad has ordered a full probe into
\nthe disaster, the biggest in Malaysian air history after a
\nhijacked Boeing 737 crashed in 1977, killing 100.<\/p>\n
Those who saw the crash said the plane landed, overshot the
\nrunway and ploughed into the squatters' colony at the northern
\nend.<\/p>\n
\"Seems like the pilot felt the runway was not enough to land,
\nso he tried to take off again but was unable to gather enough
\npower,\" said an airport official who asked not to be identified.<\/p>\n
There was no official information from the government agencies
\ninvestigating the incident or from the airline.<\/p>\n
MAS Chairman Tajudin Ramli told reporters on Saturday night
\nthat the black box that records flight details had been handed
\nover to the Department of Civil Aviation. He did not say when the
\nresults of the investigation were expected.<\/p>\n
Tajudin said he had been briefed by the safety department of
\nthe airline on possible reasons for the crash but declined to
\nreveal any details. \"At this point of time we would like to leave
\nit to the experts,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Earlier, the MAS chairman had said the twin-propeller plane
\nwas checked by a team of Dutch experts just two days before the
\ncrash and given a clean bill of health.<\/p>\n
Most officials said the 1.7 kilometer airstrip was adequate
\nfor the plane. \"It is not a very long runway but experts tell us
\nthat for a Fokker it is more than comfortable,\" said Sabah Deputy
\nChief Minister Abdul Ghapur Salleh.<\/p>\n
At the Tawau Hospital several forensic experts and a forensic
\northodontist were struggling to identify the remains of those
\nkilled.<\/p>\n
A hospital spokesman told Reuters 10 bodies had been
\nidentified and \"if by the end of the day we are not able to
\nidentify them, we will try to send them to Kuala Lumpur for DNA
\ntesting\".<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/malaysian-crash-clues-sought-1447893297",
"image": ""
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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