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60 dead in Equatorial Guinea plane crash
Airport sources said crews in the west African country are often bribed to take additional people on board. The radio said many of the victims were Malabo college students going on holiday from the island of Bioko where the capital is situated to their homes in the continental part of the country. The funerals of the 60 victims would take place on Monday, television said quoting official sources. A presidential decree said flags would be flown at half-mast during the mourning period, starting at midnight (2300 GMT Sunday). President Obiang called for an inquiry into the causes of the accident to "take eventual measures that would avoid similar events in future." It took rescuers until Sunday to reach the crash site in a remote area some 30 kilometers (18 miles) from Malabo, as they had to skirt the 3,007-meter (9.923-foot) high Mount Basile which overlooks the capital and slog several hours through the jungle. Bad weather, including nonstop rain, made the operation even more difficult. Some of the remains of the dead, charred beyond recognition, were taken in plastic bags to the main hospital in Malabo. Authorities quickly abandoned an impromptu identification process when after holding up the purse of a female victim, the crowd surged forward, prompting clashes with police. It took the government some 24 hours to officially confirm the crash, and
until Sunday afternoon to announce that no one had escaped with their lives.
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