BELIEVED CAUSE.

Auckland Star, Volume LXIV, Issue 74, 29 March 1933, Page 7

BELIEVED CAUSE.

PETROL EXPLOSION.

Sydney Brother, and Sister in

111-Fated 'Plane.

DEATH DIVE IN ELANDERS.

(British Official Wireless.)

(Eeceived 1 p.m.)

RUGBY, March 28.

The disaster to the City of Liverpool occurred when the 'plane was proceeding from Cologne and Brussels to Croydon. The liner crashed near Dixmude, Flanders. All 12 passengers, with the crew, consisting of a pilot, engineer and wireless operator, were killed. The passengers names are believed to be:—

Mr. and Mrs. L. A. Dibdin. Mr. Hugh Mcllrath and Miss Kay Mcllrath, brother and sister, of . Sydney. Miss Forrester Thompson. Miss Voss. Mr. Rowland (possibly Sir John Rowland). Mr. Dearden. Mr. Krieglinger. Mr. Rowsall. Mr. Thompson. Mr. Voss. The pilot was Captain Leuleu (doubtful), the other members of the crew were Messrs. E. F. Stubbs and W. R. Brown. The cause of the accident is at present unknown. Consulting engineers and company officials have left for the scene.

According to Press reports the petrol tanks exploded when the machine came down. It is stated that four bodies w;ere found some distance away, indicating that they had jumped as the 'plane fell. Three mail bags were found intact and were taken charge of by the lbcal authorities.

The air liner hurtled earthwards a few moments after the wireless operator had sent a message: "All well." One account states that a man and woman attempted to parachute, but were either too excited to follow the instructions or were too near the ground when, they jumped. The parachutes failed to fully open.

Directly the flames permitted, the police aided by villagers, set to work to recover <the bodies. Several charred forms can still be seen wedged in the twisted steel.

WING BREAKS.

Huge Liner Roars to Earth in

Fatal Spin.

GRUESOME SPECTACLE,

(Received 2-30 p.m.)

LONDON, March 28,

: Two women villagers, who witnessed the crash .of the. Imperial Airways liner City of Liverpool, state that the first they saw was smoke at the back of the 'plane, which seemed to burst into flames.

As the aeroplane • went into a spin, a wing broke, off. The pilot made desperate efforts to regain control, but the giant machine turned over and over, and with a roar struck the ground, the debris speedily becoming a raging furnace. Miss Forrester-Thompson's body was found some distance away, attached to a parachute. That of Mr. Herbert Voss, who also attempted to parachute, was lying near the corpse of Mr. Rowsell, aged 68, a wealthy diamond and bullion merchant, and director of nearly 40 companies. The scene of the disaster was illuminated to-uight with the headlights of numerous cars, many of them belonging to journalists. Nobody was allowed to photograph the debris, which is still smoking. Thirteen bodies will be left in the wreckage, pending au official inquiry. Only those of Mr. Voss and Miss Thompson have been removed.

FLIGHT POSTPONED.

Bad Weather Prevents Everest

Attempt.

EVERYTHING IN READINESS,

(Received 9.30 a.m.)

CALCUTTA, March 28.

' Unfavourable weather with dust storms and thunder storms in the neighbourhood of Purnea, and the probability of blizzards and snowfalls on the Himalayas prevented the Mount Everest flio-ht attempt yesterday. It is not likely that any attempt will be made to-day. The flyers are in readiness to take off immediately conditions improve.

SHAW FORCED DOWN.

AIR EXPERIENCE IN U.S.A.

SANTA MONICA (Cal.), March 28,

Mr George Bernard Shaw and his wife had a° forced landing to-day at Malibu Beach, the movie colony north of here, on a flight from San Simeon (California), en route to San Pedro. Light rain started to fall over the Cloverfield airport here, where Shaw was scheduled to land. The ceiling was dangerously low and radio reports were sent to the cabin- 'plane directing the pilot to land at some other California the "ceiling" closed down on the 'plane as it was following the coast and the pilot, Ray Crawford, decided to act quickly. He zoomed down to a perilous but successful three-point landing on a nairow strip of the sandy beach° at the nouth of the Puerto Canyon, two miles north of the Malibu C °Mr Shaw and his wife proceeded by car "to the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer ; studios in Culver City.

TThe international Cable News appearing in this issue is published by arrangement with the Australian Press Association and The "Sydney Sun "—" Melbourne Herald News Service, Ltd. Bv special arrangement Reuters World Service, in addition to other special sources of information, is used in the compilation of the overseas intelligence published in this issue, and all rights therein in Australia and New Zealand are reserved. Such of the cable news on this page as Is so headed has nppeared in The -Times and is cabled to Australia and New Zealand bv special permission. It should be understood that the opinions are not those of "The Times" unless expressly stated to be so.]