GERMANY: Survivors and families gather in Ramstein to remember air show disaster 25 years ago

Record ID: 645030

  • Title: GERMANY: Survivors and families gather in Ramstein to remember air show disaster 25 years ago
  • Date: 28th August 2013
  • Summary: RAMSTEIN, GERMANY (AUGUST 28, 2013) (REUTERS) MEMORIAL SITE OUTSIDE AIR BASE CLOSE OF MEMORIAL STONE DISPLAYING NAMES OF VICTIMS PEOPLE HOLDING A MINUTE OF SILENCE FATHER OF VICTIM DIETER KLEIN WHO LOST HIS SON AXEL HOLDING A MINUTE OF SILENCE FLOWERS BESIDE MEMORIAL (SOUNDBITE) (German) FATHER OF VICTIM, DIETER KLEIN, WHO LOST HIS SON AXEL, SAYING: "I lost my son Axel. He had serious burns, and lived for ten days. I was also there, but thankfully I was about 100 metres away from the crash site and was not injured but still experienced all the chaos. It was just terrible." MEMORIAL (SOUNDBITE) (German) FATHER OF VICTIM, DIETER KLEIN, WHO LOST HIS SON AXEL, SAYING: "We now have to live with it and with time it is easier but it is instilled in me, it will always stay with me and days like today, remembrance days, touch me even more but if you see the community here, a community which was also affected, bereaved and injured, then it gives you strength." NORTH SIDE CHAPEL INSIDE AIR BASE BELL OF CHAPEL VARIOUS OF MEMORIAL STONE WREATH MEMBERS OF U.S. MILITARY AT CEREMONY PEOPLE GATHERED AT CEREMONY VARIOUS OF BAND PLAYING WOMAN AT CEREMONY VARIOUS OF CHAPLAIN MAJOR MICHAEL R CURTIS SPEAKING TO CROWD MAJOR GENERAL JAMES W. WYATT, DIRECTOR OF OPERATIONS, STRATEGIC DETERRENCE AND NUCLEAR INTEGRATION AT THE HEADQUARTERS OF THE U.S. AIR FORCE IN EUROPE AT CEREMONY
  • Embargoed: 12th September 2013 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Germany
  • Country: Germany
  • Topics: Disasters
  • Reuters ID: LVAEWRASNGMTAUOZ826CUOXIZNFW
  • Story Text: A day of remembrance was held in the southern German town of Ramstein on Wednesday (August 28) to mark the 25th anniversary of the Ramstein Air Show disaster, in which 70 people were killed when three Italian air force planes collided in mid air.
    At 15:44 local time on August 28, 1988, the Italian planes hit each other during a demonstration at the U.S. air base.
    One of them burst into flames and was propelled like a fireball towards some of the 300,000 onlookers.
    70 people died as a result and more than 450 were injured in the disaster.
    Around 100 survivors and those who lost loved ones gathered at a specially-erected memorial stone in the town to pay their respects to those who died. The names of the dead are written on the stone.
    "I lost my son Axel. He had serious burns, and lived for ten days. I was also there, but thankfully I was about 100 metres away from the crash site and was not injured but still experienced all the chaos. It was just terrible," Dieter Klein told Reuters TV at the service.
    His 21-year-old son Axel was one of the victims of the crash, as he was standing close to the air field as it happened.
    Klein said that he would never recover from the loss of his son.
    "We now have to live with it and with time it is easier but it is instilled in me, it will always stay with me and days like today, remembrance days, touch me even more but if you see the community here, a community which was also affected, bereaved and injured, then it gives you strength," he said.
    Later a memorial service was also held inside the air base at the North Side Chapel where family members were joined by members of the U.S. military and German officials.
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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