VIETNAMESE KILLED BY U.S. PLANE

Press, Volume CIV, Issue 30823, 7 August 1965, Page 16

VIETNAMESE KILLED BY U.S. PLANE

(N.Z. Prexx Association —Copyright 1

SAIGON, August 6.

A United States 857 Canberra bomber crashed today in Nha Trang, killing 12 persons and injuring 12 others. A United States military spokesman said the dead were Vietnamese. Eight of the injured were Americans and the other four were Vietnamese, he said.

Nha Trang, about 185 miles north-cast of Saigon, was just waking up from the traditional midday siesta when the bomber fell. The coastal city, a favourite beach resort in peacetime, has become an important United States militaryheadquarters. A United States military spokesman in Saigon said the bomb-laden plane developed a severe fuel leak and the pilot radioed an emergency. The bomber was set on automatic pilot and headed out to sea. The two crew members ejected themselves over the water and were picked up unhurt almost immediately by a rescue helicopter. A second 857 attempted to shoot down the crippled and pilotless plane as the wind took it back over the bay towards the heart of the city. The second bomber made eight passes at the droning plane but failed to down it. The spokesman said the plane made a 180-degree turn from its original direction to crash into the city.

It was not immediately known what caused the fuel leak, but the pilots suspected that ground fire hit the plane without the crew members realising it.