BRITANNIACRASH 80 Holidaymakers Feared Dead

Press, Volume CVI, Issue 31154, 2 September 1966, Page 11

BRITANNIACRASH 80 Holidaymakers Feared Dead

(N.Z.PA. Reuter—Copyright)

BELGRADE, September 1.

A Britannia airliner with British holidaymakers aboard crashed and burned early today near Ljubljana, in north-west Jugoslavia. About 80 people were feared to have been killed, the Jugoslav news agency, Tanjug, reported.

Thirty people were rushed to Ljubljana Hospital. The airliner carried 112 passengers plus a crew of seven, Tanjug said.

The airliner, owned by Britannia Airways. Ltd., ploughed into a field about three miles from Ljubljana’s Brniki airport not far from the Jugoslav-Austrian border An investigation commission rushed to the scene.

In Londoi., the airline company’s managing director. Mr J. E D. W-i.ians said the flight had been chartered

by a London travel agency,l, Universal Skytours. Ltd., and'] most of the passengers were; going to Jugoslavia for 11 orb 12-day holidays. Eight Britannias The plane left Luton air- , port, north-west of London,! yesterday evening. The airline, which has eighth Britannias, runs flights to I j Europe on charter for travel!; agencies. This was its first[, accident. Captain J. C. Harrington, a [ director of Britannia Airways! Ltd., said eye-witnesses saw 1 the airliner burst into flames/ as it ploughed into the field. 1 Survivors dragged from the / burning wreckage were taken to hospitals in the area. 1 The airport is in fairly : mountainous country. p ' I Fourth Worst The Britannia crash was| the fourth worst civil air- i liner disaster this year. |i The death -toll was exceed-h ed only in two crashes in 11

I Japan and one on Mont 'Blanc. [ All 133 people on board [were killed when an All- | Nippon Airline Boeing 727 crashed into Tokyo Bay on February 3—the worst single [crash in aviation history. A month later, on March [5, all 124 people carried by [a 8.0.A.C. Boeing 707 were ! killed when it crashed into Mount Fuji shortly after taking off from Tokyo. Mont Blanc [ The Mont Blanc crash occurred on January 24. when all 117 passengers and crew [of an Air India Boeing 707 were killed. The most recent serious [crash was on August 6, when [all 38 passengers and four [crew of a B.A.C. 1-11 owned [by the American Braniff Airlines crashed in Nebraska. [ The last Britannia to crash [came down in the mountains inear Innsbruck, Austria, in [February, 1964, killing 83 I persons.