US officials say that early indications suggest that the crash of an American Airlines A-300 airbus in New York today was accidental. All 246 passengers and nine crew died when the plane, which was on a flight to the Dominican Republic, came down in a residential district within minutes of takeoff.
New York Mayor, Rudi Giuliani, said that, so far, 161 bodies had been recovered. He also said that four buildings where the plane came down had been destroyed and six people on the ground were missing. One of the plane's engines crashed separately but without causing casualties.
US Secretary of State Colin Powell told the United Nations that the crash was, apparently, an accident. The plane came down in the Rockaway residential district of Queens. An engine, believed to have fallen off the plane, came down separately.
There are reports that there was an explosion on board the airliner. It came down at about 2.20pm, Irish time. The Pentagon said that there were no reports of trouble on the airliner. The White House, the FBI and the Federal Aviation Authority have all refused to rule out a terrorist connection, but all emphasised there was no evidence yet to suggest such a connection.
US fighter aircraft were conducting combat air patrols over New York when the crash occurred but they were not involved. New York authorities have now re-opened bridges and tunnels in the city, which were closed in the immediate aftermath of the crash. The UN headquarters building was sealed off and the Empire State building was evacuated.
All major airports in the greater New York area were closed immediately after the crash, as were a number of regional airports in that state and in New Jersey. Most are expected to re-open before the end of the day. Some European airlines have cancelled flights to the US today.
The White House said that there had been no unusual communications with the pilot of the American airliner before the crash. The White House spokesman, Ari Fleischer, said that it was too soon to say what caused the crash. He said that nothing had been ruled in or ruled out. The FBI said that while there may have been an explosion there is no evidence of a terrorist link.
