Wreck of August 6 airliner crash recovered from sea off Italy

August 29, 2005

The wreck of the plane ATR72 that fell into the sea near Sicily, Italy on August 6 has been recovered. One of the two black boxes that contained the communication recording, and the complete set of instruments and commands in the cockpit, was recovered.

One of the three people who were still missing from the accident was found, while there is yet no sign of the other two persons. The identity of the recovered corpse is not yet known (and the identification is expected to be difficult).

A survey published today by the Italian association Intesaconsumatori (Union of Consumers) said that 61% of Italians are afraid to fly, while 41% of population feels less safe about plane safety than they did one month earlier. According to the survey, 20% would be ready to get off the plane, or refuse to get in the plane, if they found that the airline is different from the one they were told when they bought the ticket.