Victims of Boeing crashes join forces

Representatives of the families of those who perished in Boeing plane accidents worldwide join hands during a media conference held in Medan, North Sumatra province.

At the event on Thursday evening, they agreed to establish an international association of relatives of aircraft accident victims. The establishment of the association was initiated by U.S.-based law firm Nolan Law Group, which represents the relatives of the victims of Boeing aircraft accidents in various countries.

Those attending Thursday's function consisted of the relatives of victims of Boeing crashes in Peru, the Philippines, Argentina and those who perished during last month's Boeing plane crash in Medan. The ill-fated Boeing, belonging to Mandala, crashed in a densely populated area of Medan city killing over 100 people, including many on the ground.

The chairwoman of the newly established association, Monica von Ribbeck Kelly, said it was aimed at providing assistance for families whose loved ones had perished in aircraft accidents. The assistance would include psychological and legal counseling.

Fortuna De Castro, a delegate from the Philippines, said that with the association's establishment it was expected that the families would be able to fight more effectively to ensure the justice was done for victims.

Meanwhile, regarding the investigation into the Mandala crash last month, Manuel von Ribbeck, a lawyer with the Nolan Law Group, said a team was probing the cause of the accident.

Preliminary investigations had found that the Boeing aircraft went down due to mechanical failure. This preliminary conclusion was supported by the fact that nine Boeing 737-200s had gone down in 11 years due to the same problem, said Manuel.