Report on 2009 Air France Crash Due by 2012

Created: 2011-05-13 07:26 EST

Category: World > Europe
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Flight recorders recovered from the Air France Paris to Rio flight that crashed into the Atlantic in 2009 arrive in Paris.

 

Officials at a news conference say interpreting the data could take some time, but they hope to produce a report into the disaster by the start of 2012.     

 

The head of the police criminal investigations unit says they probably won't recover all of the 50 bodies located so far.

 

[Col. Francois Daoust, Director, French Gendarmerie Criminal Investigation Unit]: 

"One has to work with robots from four kilometers away, cables with a sort of basket in which the pieces of the aircraft are placed, but also in which we are trying to place the bodies. So depending on how able the robot is to hold things sometimes we are able to put the remains in, but sometimes not."

 

The mother of one of the victims says the process is traumatic.

 

[Corinne Soulas, Victim's Mother]:  

"Bringing the bodies up, identifying them - or not being able to do so. In every case, you're traumatized. Even more so... My God, it's hard. If you don't have them you've then got to ask yourself where they are. Any way you look at it, you turn it around in your head constantly, it's painful. It's terrible. Terrible. Caroline was 24 years old. Can you imagine how one feels?"

 

Investigators say it may not be possible to determine exactly what caused the mystery June 2009 crash.

 

The tragedy claimed the lives of 228 people.