THE AIR DISASTER.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 55, Issue 109, 18 February 1935, Page 5

THE AIR DISASTER.

BODIES CONVEYED TO MALTA. (United Press Association—Copyright). (Received This Day, 9.40 a.m.) ROME, February 17. A message from Messina states that the cruiser Durban has taken the bodies of the victims of the crash of the British flying-boat to Malta. EYE-WITNESS 1 NARRATIVE. 1 INI FLAMES BEFORE STRIKING.' MESSINA, Feb. 15. The bodies of all the victims were recovered and laid side by side in ar cave in order to protect them from rain before they were placed in coffins, which were hastily made in Messina, and carried uphill to the scene by police. . , ; The few documents recovered include a photograph with the head burnt off, and a signature at the bottom. The coffins will he taken to-morrow to Gillane Church, where ,the mortuary chapel is being prepared, to which peasant women are already bringing candles. . . ,r,./ The carter who gave the alarm was working on the mountainside when he heard a roar and saw the aeroplane burst suddenly from clouds oh the mountain-top. It was on a perilous slant, with one wing down and the other aloft. .The lower wing swept the hillside. A jet of smoke burst out, being followed by a terrific explosion. The aircraft was in flames before it struck the mountain on which broken pieces hurtled down the declivity. It was unapproachable owing to heat, v “I saw two men, half burned, in front of the machine. Their medals and ribbons were vividly visible on chests,” said the carter. Signor Mussolini has sent a message of sympathy to the British Government.