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WORLD NEWS 9
Russia: Black boxes from plane
crash site are badly damaged
VLADIMIR KONDRASHOV
Associated Press
ROSTOV-ON-DON, Russia
(AP) — Aviation experts on
Sunday began examining
the black boxes from the
FlyDubai flight that crashed
amid high winds at an air-
port in southern Russia, kill- explosion left a big crater
ing all 62 aboard.
FlyDubai’s Boeing 737-800
from Dubai nosedived and
exploded in a giant fireball
before dawn Saturday af-
ter trying to land for a sec-
ond time in strong winds in
the Russian city of Rostov-
on-Don. FlyDubai con-
firmed all 62 people on the
plane were killed. Most of
the passengers were Rus-
sian.
Several planes had trouble
landing at the airport at
the time of the crash.
The Inter-State Aviation
Committee said in a state-
ment that the plane’s data
and voice recorders had
been heavily damaged in
the crash.
But Sergei Zaiko, deputy
chairman of the commit-
tee, was quoted by Russian
news agencies late Sunday
as saying that the quality of
material on the data re-
corder was high.
The black boxes were be-
ing viewed in Moscow by
experts from Russia, the
United Arab Emirates and
France, the aviation com-
mission said. The American-
made Boeing plane had
French-made engines.
At Rostov-on-Don, hun-
dreds of people flocked
Sunday to the airport, the
region’s largest, to lay
flowers and leave candles
and toys in memory of the
dead. The city is 950 kilo-
meters (600 miles) south of
Moscow near the Ukrainian
border.
Closed-circuit TV footage
showed the plane going
down at a steep angle and
exploding. The powerful
in the runway.
The airport remained
closed, but workers on
Sunday afternoon were re-
pairing the damage to the
runway, and plans are to
reopen on Monday morn-
ing, the airport said in a
statement.
FlyDubai’s chief execu-
tive, Ghaith al-Ghaith, said
on Sunday the plane had
enough fuel to maintain
its holding pattern, which
reportedly went on for two
hours. He expressed con-
fidence in Russian authori-
ties and said the carrier
intends to resume flights to
the airport once it reopens.
He reiterated that the
Rostov-on-Don airport was
open Saturday despite the
high winds and was “good
enough to operate” at the
time of the crash, and that
it was up to Russian authori-
ties to make that determi-
nation.
Some of the crash vic-
tims were from rebel-held
areas in eastern Ukraine
where fighting between
Russian-backed separatists
and Ukrainian government
troops has killed more than
9,100 people in nearly two
years. The war has turned
the region’s main airport of
Donetsk into a wasteland,
and many locals have
been using the airport in
Rostov-on-Don, across the
border.
Self-proclaimed rebel au-
thorities in Donetsk said Sun-
day that two residents had
been killed in the crash,
while the Komsomolskaya
Pravda daily reported that
a family of three from the
rebel-controlled town of
Sverdlovsk in Ukraine was
among the victims.
Iran says U.S. continues animosity despite nuclear deal
In this picture released by an
official website of the office
of the Iranian supreme leader
on Sunday, March 20, 2016,
Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali
Khamenei delivers a message
for the Iranian New Year, Iran. enmity.”
Associated Press
TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — Iran’s
Supreme Leader said Sun-
day that Washington has
continued its animosity
toward Tehran, despite a
friendly message by Presi-
dent Barack Obama mark-
ing Persian New Year.
State TV broadcast Aya-
tollah Ali Khamenei’s New
Year’s speech on Sunday
live from the northern city
Monday 21 March 2016
Russian Investigative Committee employees, center, and police
officers investigate the wreckage of a crashed plane at the
Rostov-on-Don airport, about 950 kilometers (600 miles) south
of Moscow, Russia, Sunday, March 20, 2016. Associated Press
of Mashhad. He said of the ing problems. The return of
U.S., “From one hand they Iran’s capital from abroad
send a New Year message has faced problems. When
and on the other hand they we investigated, it was
have kept economic sanc- found out that they fear
tions,” against Iran. “This is from the U.S.”
He also said there is no
Khamenei has final say on guarantee that the next
all state matters in Iran. He U.S. administration will
said many international honor all the commitments
companies continue to made by Obama’s admin-
avoid working with Iran out istration.
fear of the U.S. Khamenei dismissed the
Obama on Saturday, in recent controversy over
his annual video message Iran’s continued testing of
marking the Persian New ballistic missiles. Earlier this
Year, said a landmark nu- month, the country’s Revo-
clear deal Iran reached lutionary Guard test-fired
with world powers last year two missiles emblazoned
makes it possible for Iran to with the phrase “Israel must
rejoin the global economy, be wiped out” in Hebrew.
increase trade and invest- After the launches, United
ment, and create jobs and Nations Secretary-General
opportunities for Iranians to Ban Ki-moon called on Iran
sell their goods around the to “act with moderation,”
world. and the U.S. ambassador to
“The United States is severe- the United Nations called
ly working not to allow the them, “provocative and
deal’s results to become destabilizing.” U.S. Secre-
beneficial for the Islamic tary of State John Kerry has
Republic,” said Khamenei. said the recent tests could
He said despite the deal trigger additional sanc-
“They have threatened us tions.
through other sanctions.” “What an outcry they raised
He said the U.S. has not ful- over our missile issue saying,
filled all of its commitments why did you test fire? Why
under the deal. “Banking did you launch the military
transactions are still fac- exercise,” Khamenei said.