A proposal to build a memorial to commemorate the victims of Wednesday’s fatal TransAsia Airways crash has won the support of the Penghu County Government, but officials say the idea must be approved by the residents of Sisi Village (西溪), where the plane crashed, before it is implemented.
During mediation meetings with the air carrier and local authorities, families of the 48 people killed in the crash requested that a memorial be erected at the crash site of Flight GE222.
Penghu County Government Deputy Commissioner Lu Jung-tai (呂永泰) said he would give the go-ahead to the proposal, pending the agreement of those living in the village next to Magong Airport.
Photo: CNA
“If any residents are opposed to the idea, we may have to take the ‘China Airlines’ route and build the monument on government property, or at a public park,” Lu said.
He was referring to the China Airlines Flight 611 disaster in May 2002, when a Boeing 747 exploded in mid-air over the Penghu archipelago. The cause of that crash was determined to be improper aircraft maintenance.
Penghu authorities are also assessing the damage done to the 11 houses hit by the ATR-72 plane as it went down on Wednesday and Lu said that, with the home owners’ consent, the demolition of the wrecked houses will start next week, as the structures pose a danger to public safety.
Photo: CNA
In related developments, some of the crash victims’ bodies were transported to Taipei International Airport (Songshan airport) yesterday, but several still need to be identified.
Some relatives of the deceased slammed the Penghu County Government because they said the DNA identification testing process was moving too slowly, saying they cannot get a death certificate until the bodies are identified.
“We are hurting in our hearts, but you kept telling us to deal these matters with other local agencies. Our families are Penghu residents, but we are treated like second-class citizens,” a man surnamed Ho (何) said. “Look at the Greater Kaohsiung Government, it has already set up a mourning hall in Penghu for the victims’ relatives and is helping its citizens out with funeral arrangements.”
Over the past three days, firefighters, police officers and military units called in to provide support have been combing the crash site. The rescue efforts and recovery of bodies were said to have been completed as of yesterday.
Disinfection work has also been carried out around the area affected by the crash, but officials at the local government’s Environmental Protection Agency said that since it rained on Friday, some of the disinfectants may have washed away.
To counter this possibility, 30 soldiers from the Army’s Chemical Corps were dispatched to the site yesterday to complete another round of disinfection work. The authorities also said that local firefighter units have been sent in to conduct a final checkup and ensure that all the victims and body parts have been recovered.
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