Families of victims of Sudan Air plane crash criticises civil aviation and social welfare

By Geer Tor Tong, Khartoum Monitor

KHARTOUM, Oct. 20, 2003 –The committee representing the families of those who died during the crash of Sudan Airways Boeing 737 aircraft in august this year has demanded that the committee investigating the crash be dissolved and replaced by a new national committee.

The families representatives committee has called upon the President of the Republic and the Minister of aviation to constitute a new committee to carry out the investigation.
Mr. Mohammed Yassin representing the families of the victims said, “We request Mr. President and the Minister of Civil Aviation through the press to form a new investigation committee.”

Mr. Yassin who was speaking at a press conference on October 18th , at Al Sharia Al Siyasi Newspaper said, his committee holds the Civil Aviation and Sudan Airways responsible for the crash. He termed them to be, “the original parties” to the accident.

Mr. Mohammed Yassin criticized the Social Welfare ministry for its very slow action and for forming an ineffective committee after the expiration of 95 days following the crash which left 116 passengers and crew dead.

Mr. Yassin declared, “we possess vital information which is not even known to Sudan Airways authorities and we are keeping the information to use at the right time.”
Regarding the financial compensation for the families of the victims, Mr. Yassin said that the State has to take care of the compensation and ignore the moral side of the loss of lives.

However, he said, “we will not accept any compensation less than what has been stipulated in the 1952 Warsaw Accord which is US$.75,000 [Seventy five thousand United states dollars] for each victim.”.