- Title: CZECHOSLOVAKIA: STRICT SECURITY AT SITE OF CRASHED BULGARIAN AIRLINER
- Date: 26th November 1966
- Summary: 1. CU SIGN "BRATISLAVA" 0.03 2. GV VIEW OF BRATISLAVA 0.08 3. GV BRATISLAVA AIRPORT 0.12 4. LV ILYUSHIN AIRCRAFT ON TARMAC 0.17 5. GV HILL WHERE AIRCRAFT CRASHED 0.21 6. LV FOREST 0.25 7. SV ARMY TRUCKS NEAR SITE 0.30 8. SV SECURITY GUARDS AT SITE OF CRASH 0.40 9. CU MAN WHO LOST WIFE IN CRASH PAN DOWN TO SHOW INDICATOR ON LAPEL 0.46 10. SV SECURITY GUARDS 0.50 11. SV PAN FROM MAN SITS ON STRETCHER TO MEN CARRY DETECTING DEVICE 1.08 Initials GHB/V/RM/K Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved
- Embargoed: 11th December 1966 12:00
- Keywords:
- Location: BRATISLAVA, CZECHOSLOVAKIA
- City:
- Country: Czech Republic Czechoslovakia
- Reuters ID: LVAD62HFVGYOW7POBI39Z8B968JO
- Story Text: CZECHOSLOVAKIAN SECURITY POLICE WERE TODAY (SATURDAY) GUARDING THE AREA NEAR BRATISLAVA WHERE A BULGARIAN AIRLINER CRASHED ON THURSDAY NIGHT KILLING 83 PEOPLE. THE AIRLINER ALSO CARRIED TWO SPECIAL CONTAINERS OF RADIOACTIVE ISOTOPES, AND EXPERTS WERE BROUGHT IN WITH GEIGER COUNTERS AND OTHER SPECIALIST EQUIPMENT.
THE SOVIET-BUILT ILYUSHIN - 18 AIRLINER CRASHED SOON AFTER TAKE-OFF INTO THE FORESTED MOUNTAINS WHICH RIM THE CITY. SNOW, FLURRIED BY A BITTER WIND, HINDERED THE INVESTIGATORS WHO STRUGGLED TO THE SCENE DEEP IN THE FOREST SOME SIX MILES (10 KILOMETRES) SOUTH OF THE AIRPORT.
THE RADIOACTIVE CONTAINERS HAD NOT BEEN FOUND, AND SECURITY POLICE SCREENED OFF THE HUGE CLEARING TORN IN THE PINE TREES. JOURNALISTS WERE BARRED FROM THE SCENE, BUT A VISNEWS CAMERAMAN WAS ABLE TO TAKE THIS FILM BEFORE BEING ESCORTED FROM THE AREA BY POLICE.
SEVERAL PEOPLE OWED THEIR LIVES TO THEIR DECISIONS TO GO ON TO PRAGUE. THE PLANE'S DESTINATION - BY TRAIN, RATHER THAN WAIT AT THE AIRPORT. THE AIRLINER WAS ON A REGULAR FLIGHT FROM SOFIA TO EAST BERLIN VIA BUDAPEST AND PRAGUE, BUT IT LANDED AT BRATISLAVA BECAUSE OF BAD WEATHER CONDITIONS. WHEN IT TOOK OFF AGAIN, IT FAILED TO GAIN HEIGHT AND NARROWLY MISSED FACTORY CHIMNEYS BEFORE CRASHING INTO THE SMALL CARPATHIAN MOUNTAIN RIDGE SOUTH OF BRATISLAVA.
A CZECHOSLOVAKIAN GOVERNMENT COMMISSION INVESTIGATING THE CRASH HAD BEEN JOINED BY A BULGARIAN PARTY, BELIEVED TO BE HEADED BY THE MINISTER OF TRANSPORT.
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