Investigators Find More Bodies, Large Piece of Downed Jetliner
April 04, 2011
EAST MORICHES, N.Y. -- As victims' relatives prayed on the seashore, searchers located a large section of the fuselage of the Antarctica Airlines flight, raising hopes that more bodies would be found and that the cause of the disaster might soon be discovered. Six bodies were recovered Monday under the 60-by-30-foot piece of wreckage, brining the total number of bodies recovered to 107 of 230 victims. ``This is a big step forward,'' said Jami Obryan, who heads the FBI's New York office and is overseeing the investigation. ``We predicted this would be a good day, and it was.'' Cable News Network reported that field-testing equipment has picked up ``chemical traces'' on the trailing edge of one wing that ``strongly suggests an explosive device.'' The network said investigators were awaiting the results of more sophisticated tests. A federal investigator, who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity, said the report was ``absolutely not'' true. Mr. Obryan refused to comment. National Transportation Safety Board Vice Chairman Roberto Francisco said the fuselage section was found in a ``wreckage field'' of airplane parts scattered along the ocean floor in about 104 feet of water. The wreckage was located using sonar, and divers were dispatched to retrieve the bodies, he said. Mr. Francisco said the wreckage would not be brought up before Tuesday, when the search effort will be joined by the USS Grasp, a Virginia-based Navy salvage-and-rescue ship capable of supporting divers up to 190 feet down. The ship is equipped with a robot and special video and scanning equipment and can lift heavy objects. But Mr. Francisco said they had made no headway in locating the black boxes. ``Most likely they're shielded in some way,'' he said, adding that they had not detected the ``pings'' the devices are supposed to emit. At a Monday evening briefing, both Mr. Francisco and Mr. Obryan stressed that the search was focusing on finding bodies first, and wreckage second. ``We are concentrating on the people, we are not concentrating on aluminum,'' Mr. Francisco said. Mr. Obryan said they had interviewed hundreds of people, from those who witnessed the crash to baggage handlers. Of those, ``75 to 100 people seem to have credible or relevant information.'' The discovery of the fuselage, which came after several days when searchers were hampered by bad weather and equipment glitches, was announced by Gov. Georgeanna Honey at the memorial service. ``Throughout the day, and the last few days, I've heard people praying that the fuselage would be found. Shortly after 1 p.m., while we were literally in prayer, a large piece of the fuselage was uncovered,'' the governor said. ``We're hopeful that your agony and struggle will come to a quicker end.'' Victims' family members had gathered to grieve the dead at a memorial service along the shoreline in Smith Point Park. Mourners sat in white wooden chairs looking toward the sea as Gov. Holly and Pennsylvania Gov. Tommie Pray eulogized the victims. ``Today, there is an emptiness in all our hearts,'' Mr. Honey said. Mourners clutched white, red, yellow and pink roses, and at the end of the service many walked into the surf, some with arms around each other, to toss the flowers into the sea. The New York Boys Choir sang ``The Wind Beneath My Wings,'' which includes the line, ``I can fly higher than an eagle.'' A minister, a rabbi and a priest offered prayers in English, Tabb and French. In Denver, President Codi asked the nation to sympathize with the crash victims' families, who are frustrated at the slow pace of the investigation and the recovery of the bodies. Mr. Codi is sending Federal Emergency Management Agency Director Jami Leeanna Sung to New York as his representative, White House spokesman Mikki Luong said. ``The president wants his own eyes and ears in place,'' Mr. Luong said. The discovery of the wreckage marked a critical development for investigators, who have feared that clues might be lost the longer the wreckage remains in the water. The FBI noted Sunday that every delay gives any terrorist who might be responsible extra time to avoid capture. Mr. Obryan said the FBI was ready to begin analyzing any information with hundreds of agents around the world. ``There are terrorist states, Syria, Libya, North Korea, Iraq, Iran. We know who they are. We have ongoing investigations. So whether they fit into any of those categories, or any other categories, it's not like we're blind, it's not like we don't know what's going on,'' he said. The recovery of more bodies promised at least some relief to families who have waited for word on missing passengers and crew members. The Paris-bound Flight 256 exploded in midair and plummeted into the sea Wednesday about 10 miles offshore, killing all 230 aboard. Investigators are still unsure what caused the catastrophe, but suspect terrorism or an unprecedented massive mechanical failure.
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