Memorial service in NYC borough marks 19th anniversary of airplane crash

2020-11-12 22:06:52 GMT2020-11-13 06:06:52(Beijing Time) Xinhua English

NEW YORK, Nov. 12 (Xinhua) -- A memorial service was held at Belle Harbor in Queens borough of New York City on Thursday morning to pay tribute to the victims of Flight 587 which crashed here 19 years ago.

"We remembered today, 265 good people we lost. We remember the pain, but also we remember the heroism of all those who in that moment rushed to the scene to save lives, to try their best, the first responders, the neighbors from the community, everyone who tried to see if there was any way to save the lives of those on that flight and those on the ground," Mayor Bill de Blasio told the ceremony.

"We think about how the community came together, the whole Dominican community and the community of New York City to love and support all the good families, all those present today, and all those who couldn't be here today," he said.

"And we do know that memory is powerful and all our loved ones, they're watching right now, they're feeling our love and we will never forget them," he added.

American Airlines Flight 587 was a regularly scheduled international passenger flight from John F. Kennedy International Airport to Las Americas International Airport in Santo Domingo, the capital of the Dominican Republic.

On Nov. 12, 2001, due to technical problem, the Airbus A300B4-605R flying the route crashed into the neighborhood of Belle Harbor, on the Rockaway Peninsula of Queens, New York City, shortly after takeoff.

All 260 people aboard the plane, including 251 passengers and nine crew members, were killed, along with five people on the ground.

It is the second-deadliest aviation incident involving an Airbus A300 and the second-deadliest aviation accident in U.S. history behind only 1979's American Airlines Flight 191. Enditem

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