Draft a press report on an Air Crash (an airplane accident)

87 Killed in Plane Crash

Air Tragedy in Mumbai
21st October
Mumbai
All 87 passengers and a crew of 6 were killed when an Indian Airlines flight bound for
Delhi crashed here at 3:45 p.m., a few minutes after taking off. 13 of the passengers were
women and 7 were children.
Tragic Scene:
Parts of the plane and the luggage of passengers were scattered over an area of about
1000 square yards. Charred bodies were found all over the fields and the airport. Most of
the bodies have been identified and claimed by relatives but three were burnt beyond
recognition.
The ill-fated plane was on a journey from Mumbai to New Delhi. The cause of the
accident is not known.
Eye-witnesses:
According to eye-witnesses, the plane began to lose altitude soon after taking off.
Suddenly it hit a tree with a loud bang and split into two parts before bursting into flames.
An old woman living nearby said that she came our of her home on hearing a loud roar of
the engines. She saw what looked like a ball of fire in the air before the plane hit the ground.
The Cause of the Accident
A committee has been set up to inquire into the accident. The airport officials said that it
appears that one of the engines of the airplane failed soon after taking off. However, the
true reason for the accident will only be found after a detailed inquiry and study of the
‘black box’ of the plane.
Area Cordoned:
The police have put up a fence around the crash site. Hundreds of people have gathered
at the site. Nobody was allowed inside the boundary except for relatives and officials. The
victims included three foreign students and five tourists. Bodies were temporarily taken to
the medical college in Mumbai.
Condolences:
The Chief Minister of Maharashtra, Shri Vilasrao Deshmukh, visited the site and consoled
the relatives of the victims. The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi, expressed deep shock
at the tragedy and announced an ex-gratia payment of Rs. 1,00,000 for each of the
deceased.