(Dutch)
NEW YORK (ANP) - Een vliegtuig van de Amerikaanse
luchtvaartmaatschappij US Airways is donderdag in de Hudson-rivier
bij New York terechtgekomen. Schepen konden bij het drijvende
toestel komen, bleek uit tv-beelden van Amerikaanse nieuwszenders.
Volgens de Amerikaanse autoriteiten ging het om een Airbus 320
die was opgestegen van La Guardia. De piloot wilde mogelijk
terugkeren nadat het toestel was geraakt door vogels.
(English)
NEW YORK (AP) -- A US Airways plane has crashed into the Hudson River, sending passengers fleeing for safety in the frigid waters. New York City firefighters, federal transportation officials and an armada of boats were responding to the accident. It was not immediately clear if there were injuries.
I just thought, 'Why is it so low?' And, splash, it hit the water,+ said witness Barbara Sambriski, a researcher at The Associated Press.
The plane was submerged in the icy waters up to the windows, and rescue crews had opened the door and were pulling passengers in yellow life vests from the plane. Several boats surrounded the plane, which appeared to be slowly sinking.
½I saw what appeared to be a tail fin of a plane sticking out of the water,+ said Erica Schietinger, whose office windows at Chelsea Piers look out over the Hudson. ½All the boats have sort of circled the area. ... I can't tell what's what at this point.+
22:41 UPDATE DUTCH
NEW YORK (ANP) - De piloot van de Airbus 320 die donderdag in de
Hudson-rivier in New York terechtkwam, heeft een noodlanding
gemaakt. Volgens de luchtvaartautoriteiten is het vliegtuig kort na
de start mogelijk geraakt door een of meer vogels.
Uit zeker een motor zou rook zijn gekomen, vertelde een
passagier tegen de Amerikaanse nieuwszender CNN. Hij sprak over een
,,fantastische" noodlanding. De meeste passagiers wachtten op de
vleugels van het drijvende toestel op redding.
UPDATE ENGLISH
NEW YORK (AP) -- A US Airways plane crashed into the frigid Hudson River on Thursday after striking a bird that disabled two engines, sending 150 on board scrambling onto rescue boats, authorities say. No deaths or serious injuries were immediately reported.
Federal Aviation Administration spokeswoman Laura Brown said US Airways Flight 1549 had just taken off from LaGuardia Airport enroute to Charlotte, North Carolina, when the crash occurred in the river near 48th Street in New York City.
Brown says the plane, an Airbus 320, appeared to have hit one or more birds.
A law enforcement official said that authorities were not aware of any deaths and that the passengers did not appear to be seriously injured. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because the rescue was still under way.
The plane was submerged in the icy waters up to the windows. Rescue crews had opened the door and were pulling passengers in yellow life vests from the plane. Several boats -- including commuter ferries -- surrounded the plane, which appeared to be slowly sinking.
Government officials said they did not believe the crash was related to terrorism.
½There is no information at this time to indicate that this is a security-related incident,+ Homeland Security spokeswoman Laura Keehner said.
Witnesses said the plane's pilot appeared to guide the plane down.
½I see a commercial airliner coming down, looking like it's landing right in the water,+ said Bob Read, who saw it from his office at the television newsmagazine ½Inside Edition.+
½This looked like a controlled descent.+
New York City firefighters and the U.S. Coast Guard responded to the crash.
½I saw what appeared to be a tail fin of a plane sticking out of the water,+ said Erica Schietinger, whose office windows at Chelsea Piers look out over the Hudson. ½All the boats have sort of circled the area.+
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) but a great job from the pilots
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