The news about the Gol 737 that possibly collided with a smaller Legacy jet and crashed into the Amazon has left me feeling sick.
According to news reports from Brazil's online newspaper O Globo, the pattern of the wreckage led the captain of the Air Force to believe that the plane hit the ground in a vertical dive - nose first. The media is still reluctant to confirm that there are no survivors, instead preferring to say that if any of the 155 people on board the Gol flight were alive, it would be an absolute miracle. The jungle in the area of the crash is so dense that the initial rescue team had to rappel in from helicopters, then cut down trees to make a clearing so that others could manage to land.
The Legacy was piloted by and carrying Americans, including a reporter from the NY Times, and was able to land safely despite some damage to the wing and tail.
Rico and I were talking last night about what the last minute of life must be like for someone on a plane that is doing a nose dive into the jungle. I'm not a particularly religious person, but I really hope that in these moments there is some sort of intervention, either on the part of a higher Being or as a built-in funcion of our souls, that in effect "shuts off" pain and suffering. I hope there is a threshold where a person about to die under horrid circumstances, be it a plane crash, torture, or any other type of accident or injury, ceases to feel physical pain and fear and is able, instead, to have a bit of peace.
My heart goes out to the families of the victims of this accident. It will be a complex and very interesting investigation over the next few months to determine what exactly was the cause of this disaster.
Sunday, October 01, 2006
Mourning Flight 1907
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
4 comments:
I was wondering about Ali in your name. This name is so familaiar name in this part of the world.
Hi Shirazi -
Ali is a nickname that I've had since I was a little girl. It doesn't come from Muslim roots in my case, but I do enjoy meeting people that have the same name. It really is common, even around Mozambqiue I've run across a couple of people named Ali.
Horrible tale. hadn't heard about it on the news. Not sure I've heard any news actually, I was about to get annoyed with the British media for being too insular, but it's probably me being switched off. I do kinda believe that we have it within us to protect ourselves in a time of crisis. I hope I'm never proved wrong.
x
It is horrible.
There is supposed to be some instrument that planes have these days to prevent mid-air collisions but it's not universally required. I've heard the FAA requires it aboard all American planes, though.
People die on impact in plane crashes. That said, I hope there is some sort of intervention such that the fear is shut off before death.
Post a Comment