Bodies of Sharjah plane crash victims repatriated
Bodies of dead repatriated to Sudan as black box from ill-fated flight is sent to London for analysis
Sharjah: The bodies of those killed in a plane crash last Wednesday were repatriated on Sunday, an official at the Sudanese Consulate in Dubai said.
They were flown to Sudan by a chartered flight organised by Azza Airways.
Meanwhile, according to WAM, the team that was formed by the Sharjah Civil Aviation Authority to investigate the cause of the cargo plane crash near Sharjah airport released its first report.
The report said the incident happened after a part of the plane body near the engine split off 20 seconds after take off and fell on the runway.
The plane swerved to the right side of the airport and fell 1.2 km from the end of the runway.
The authority has temporarily banned the company from operating in the UAE as a precautionary measure until the investigation is over.
According to officials at the airport and Civil Aviation Authority in Sharjah, the black box has been sent to the United Kingdom for analysis.
Ali Mohammad Ali, First Secretary at the Sudanese Consulate, told Gulf News that the aircraft was scheduled to depart Sharjah International Airport on Sunday at 6pm. "The DNA tests were carried out on Saturday and identification of the six bodies has been completed."
Asked whether any compensation package had been planned for the victims' families, Ali said, "The matter lies with Azza Airways."
The Boeing 707, flight SB2241, carrying general cargo and bound for Khartoum, crashed two minutes after takeoff from Sharjah International Airport on October 21.
Six crew members were killed when the ill-fated flight, which was owned by Azza Airways and operated under lease by Sudan Air, crashed in Sharjah.
Family members of the victims arrived in Sharjah on Saturday to accompany the bodies home.
Nasser Mohi Al Deen, a brother of engineer Mohammad Al Fateh Mahdi, said he had arrived from London and was travelling with his brother's body back to Sudan. "He was helping the family a lot financially and we are all very sad," he said.
"When I was younger, he was the one who paid for my school tuition since he was the eldest child. We will all miss him very much."
The father of Ala'a Al Deen Muharram, who was the assistant captain on the flight, said he had lost his only son. "I do not know how life will be without him and he was the one responsible in taking care of the family. I have two other daughters but he was my only son."
