News for September 2008

September 15, 2008 00:00
Call the emergency hotline for the latest information on the victims of the Boeing 737 crash in Perm, +7 (342) 263-11-36.

The hotline operators provide the latest update on the list of casualties of the Boeing 737 plane crash in Perm. They also provide information on the operation of the crisis center for relatives of the casualties.

The Boeing 737 carried 88 passengers (including 7 children and 6 crew). There are no survivors, reports Emergency Situations Ministry.

The crisis center for families of the plane crash victims is located in the regional community center: Perm, Sovetskoi Armii str., 4.

Families are brought here straight from the airport. Non-residents are placed in local hotels.

Perm city manager Arkady Kats has held two meetings with the families of the victims. "Currently we are collecting contact information of other relatives. Everybody will be provided with hot food and drinks, as well as with a hotel room," said Kats.

Eighteen relatives of the plane crash victims have arrived to Perm so far. More are expected to come. "We are expecting relatives of foreigners as well. We are ready to provide them with all the necessary support, including visa arrangements," said Levitin. Most of the crash victims were Perm-born, that is why the amount of relatives flying into Perm is considerably small.

Over 40 psychologists are currently working with the families who have already arrived to the crisis center. "It is very difficult to work with the relatives of those who died in a plane crash. They are in shock and can hardly hear what you are saying. The best we can do is just be next to them," a crisis psychologist says.

Representatives of Investigative Public Prosecution Office are working at the site right now, forensic scientists are expected promptly.

Perm Krai Governor Oleg Chirkunov is currently at the site along with the Krai Public Safety Minister Igor Orlov. "We discovered both black boxes, they will be sent to Moscow for decoding promptly," says Orlov.

The government committee for cause investigation headed by the RF Transport Minister Igor Levitin who had just arrived to Perm has begun its work at the site of the plane crash. The committe will try to determine the technical circumstances of the crash. Levitin will be updating the RF President Dmitry Medvedev by phone.

Reconstruction to recover the damaged sector of the Trans-Siberian Railway has already begun. It will be completed within 4 hours, Levitin reported.

The regional branch of Emergency Situations Minsitry is currently searching the crash site. "We have a lot of work to do, we need to search the whole area. 258 rescuers are working at the site right now, we've got more op-groups coming from the neighboring Udmurtia and Tatarstan. We are planning to finish all the works by tomorrow," the reginal branch head of ESM Valery Vlasov said.

The Aeroflot airline pledged to pay "compensation on obligatory accident insurance in full, which would make up to two million rubles (some 80,000 dollars) per casualty". The General Manager of Aeroflot Nord is expected to arrive in Perm soon.

September 15 is announced the Day of Mourning.

Bolshoye Savino International Airport emergency hotline: +7 (342) 294-9891; +7 (342) 294-9928; +7 (342) 294-9935.

Crisis Center in Perm: +7 (342) 263-1136.

The RF Emergency Situations Crisis Center in Moscow: +7 (495) 626-3707.


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