A fiery death comes for 96

96 at midnight in Samoa

From a Pago Pago correspondent

L A ? C A y Crash °c f a Pan^ American 707 at American Samoans Pago Pago E at r^" atl ? na l Airp °. rt . has left , 96 frmm A de u‘ ? e tS lg je V W f C ? mm § hmmrt w i Ne 'u Zealand and Anc"? f Honolulu, Hawaii and Los W f C Il ll crashed and burned St nn arOUnd mid ' M.nv ? 3 °- k Many of those on board were 7l a r d / eSld f. ntS .U “ n S 16 New Austrians Samoa " s ’ five Austmlians, one Tongan and one AScats nde S IS °Ca k n^nr r % 4 ve Britons, as well as residents of Germany, Janan. Switzerland the Netherlands and China. ’

Ten survivors were taken to Lyndon B Johnson Tropical Medical Centre immediately after the crash, one dying tto%fi: r ter" ival ' Four more died An investigation is underway to determine the cause of the crash, ivhich occurred as hundreds of persons waited at the airport. The investigation is being conducted by he Federal Aviation Administration, he National Safety Transportation Board, and Pan American officials.

The plane crashed about 3,000 feet ihort of the main runway and burst nto flames before most of the pasenters could escape.

One survivor, Roger Cann, 23, of said heard noises mich he thought was the landing

gear going down. Officials say that this could have been the sound of the plane cutting through the tops of coconut trees. Cann said that everyone “snapped forward in their seats” when the plane hit the ground, “but were held in place by their seatbelts.”

Cann said that a man seated in front of him opened an emergency exit door and flames began filling the inside of the aircraft. Cann and his wife managed to get to a forward exit door and out of the burning aircraft. Both suffered severe burns.

Officials have not yet released information regarding the cause of the crash.

Dockers' Official

On Theft Charge

Taniela Veitata, secretary of the deregistered Fiji Seamen’s and Dock workers’ Union and secretary of the new Fiji Waterside Workers’ and seamen’s Union, was charged in court, on February 12, the day he received advice of registration of the new union, on two charges of theft of brandy and one of destroying evidence. Jointly charged with him was Noa Tuivuci.

Each faced separate charges of having obstructed a customs officer.

The hearing was adjourned. (See also p 79.)

A fireman cools a still-smoking engine from the Boeing.