Benin plane crash probe
2003-12-28 09:24
Cotonou - Investigators have started the process of pinning down the cause of the Boeing crash that killed at least 130 people in the west African state of Benin.
The two black boxes or flight recorders from the Boeing after the abortive takeoff have been recovered.
There were 21 survivors and 10 persons were still missing after the Christmas Day accident.
The Boeing 727, operated by the Union des Transports Africains (UTA) carrier, botched its takeoff, skidding down the runway at Cotonou and smashing into a building before plunging into the Gulf of Guinea.
Most of the plane's passengers were Lebanese expatriates returning home for the holidays.
Twenty of the survivors have been flown to Beirut, where they were immediately hospitalised.