AIRLINER CRASH

Press, Volume XCI, Issue 27636, 18 April 1955, Page 11

AIRLINER CRASH

British Note To China / (Rec. 9 p.m.) LONDON, April 16. Britain, in a strongly-worded Note, has rejected Communist China’s accusation that it was responsible for the crash in the South China Sea on Monday of the Air Ridia airliner which was carrying Chinese delegates to the African-Asian conference. Only three crew members survived the crash.

The Note was delivered in Peking today by Mr Humphrey Trevelyan, the British Charge d’Affaires. It is understood that it emphasised that after the receipt of a warning from the Communist Chinese that the Chinese Nationalists might cause trouble for the aircraft, comprehensive security measures were taken in Hong Kong. The Note also protested against the Peking Government’s prejudgment of the cause of the crash, which is still to be determined by an inquiry. A Jakarta message says that Indonesian divers, attempting to lift the wreckage of the airliner, the Kashmir Princess, today found six bodies in the wreckage, according to the Navy Information Department. Two of them were identified as Indian crew members.

Sabotage Accusation The Chinese Prime Minister (Mr Chou En-lai) said on his arrival in Bandung that the Asian-African conference was disliked by some people. ‘‘They are trying by all means to sabotage it. As you all know, the delegation of the Chinese People’s Republic has already paid for this at a heavy price,” Ke said. that In dia» Communist Northern Vietnam and other countries had also suffered serious losses from this recent incident of sabotage.” He was obviously referring to the airliner crash.