The 13 cabin crew who survived the Singapore Airlines (SIA) crash in Taipei last October are battling depression and flashbacks two months afterwards, a news report said yesterday.
Three crew members told The Straits Times many of them feel let down as they are still waiting for SIA to compensate them for the physical and mental trauma they suffered and for loss or damage to their personal belongings.
All of the surviving crew have been paid their salaries and full allowances since Oct. 31, when the Los Angeles-bound Boeing 747-400 with 179 people on board rammed into equipment on take-off, burst into flames and broke into three parts, killing 83 people.
The crew have not gone back to work or been told when to return.
The crew members were informed earlier they may each get S$6,000 (US$3,520) for their belongings, the report said.
"Some of us lost things worth several times more" than that, a steward was quoted as saying, noting there should be individual settlements.
Several are consulting with the Chicago-based Nolan Law Group, an accident claims specialist.
Rajaram Ramiah, a Singapore lawyer dealing with crew members the group is representing, said the crew feel they have been left in limbo because they have not received word about compensation for the past two weeks.
An SIA spokesman said that compensation was being settled case by case.
"We risked our lives, in the line of duty, to help passengers," another crew member was quoted as saying.
"We hope the company will take this and our scarred psyches into account."
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