Families of crash victims to sue Swiss air control and Russian airline

Airline Industry Information, Feb 22, 2005

AIRLINE INDUSTRY INFORMATION-(C)1997-2005 M2 COMMUNICATIONS LTD

Families of some of those killed in a 2002 aircraft collision are suing Switzerland's air traffic control company and a Russian airline.

The 120 relatives of 27 victims have launched legal proceedings in a court in Barcelona, Spain, against Skyguide and Bashkirian Airlines, said a Skyguide spokesperson. The Bashkirian charter jet, which on 1 July 2002 collided with a DHL International cargo aircraft over southern Germany, was on its way to Spain. The crash killed 71 people, mostly Russian schoolchildren going on holiday.

The settlement with the families of the victims would likely be about USD150,000 each, reported the Swiss weekly newspaper SonntagsZeitung.

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