NY crash 'could have been worse': Mayor
New York Mayor Rudolph Giuliani said yesterday’s plane crash in the city could have been ‘‘far worse’’ given that the American Airlines jet crashed into a residential area.
Speaking at a news conference last night, he said that although the consequences of the disaster were ‘‘catastrophic’’ the number of causalities could have been much higher.
‘‘It could have been far worse. Even the way in which it came down in one small defined area, as opposed to hitting a number of homes, was lucky.’’
Some 255 people were onboard he Airbus A300 when it crashed into the borough of Queens, less than 10 miles from John F Kennedy airport.
Mr Giuliani said 161 bodies had been recovered and six adults are reported missing on the ground.
Mr Giuliani spoke of his grief for relatives of the crash victims.
He said: ‘‘Our hearts go out for them. We feel terrible for them and we want to be able to do anything we can to assist them in these horrible circumstances.’’
A temporary shelter had been set up for people in Rockaway who had been evacuated from their homes following the crash.
‘‘The city has been on high alert since September 11. It’s not any more of a high alert as a result of this.
‘‘For a couple of hours we closed tunnels and bridges to incoming traffic. When it became clear that wasn’t necessary, we opened them again.’’
He again paid tribute to the firefighters and the police department.
‘‘It amazed me how quickly they were able to get the fire under control.
‘‘If I could judge the city from the moral of police officers and firefighters I would say the city is fine.
‘‘They were just as dedicated, just as brave as they always have been. They were terrific.
President George Bush also expressed his ‘‘heartfelt sympathy’’ for the victims of the New York plane crash.
Standing alongside former South African President Nelson Mandela following a meeting at the White House, he said: ‘‘It was heartbreaking to pick up the phone and speak to my friend Mayor Rudolph Giuliani and once again express my sympathies.
‘‘At the same time I assured the people of New York the Federal Government will respond as quickly as possible.’’
He said the investigation would ensure that the facts were ‘‘fully known’’ to the American people.
‘‘The New York people have suffered mightily, and they suffer again. But there is no doubt in my mind that New Yorkers are resilient, strong and courageous people and they will help their neighbours get over this.’’
He added: ‘‘I want to express my heartfelt sympathies for the citizens of New York, those on the aeroplane, those whose houses were damaged and those who were hurt on the ground in the recent incident.’’
