ARKA News Agency, Armenia
Feb 14 2008

President Kocharyan calls emergency meeting on plane crash

YEREVAN, February 14. /ARKA/. President of Armenia Robert Kocharyan
convened an emergency meeting on Thursday in connection with the
crash of the plane belonging to the Belarusian `Belavia’ Airlines at
Yerevan’s `Zvartnots’ airport.

The meeting was attended by the head of the presidential staff, the
Prosecutor General, chiefs of the police, national security, Civil
Aviation State Department, as well as the deputy foreign minister.
Head of the Civil Aviation State Department Artyom Movsissyan
informed the participants on the crash details: SRG-100 Canadian-made
plane making a flight from Yerevan to Minsk leaned on its left wing
and touched the ground setting the plane to fire.

The Aviation Security Service and the firemen managed to evacuate the
18 passengers and the crew successfully. `Those wounded received
first medical aid at the airport and were later taken to hospital.
Six passengers suffered minor injuries and are safe now,’ Movsissyan
said.

President Kocharyan instructed the law-enforcement bodies to
collaborate with the aviation services in the case investigation.

The crash reasons will also be investigated by the Interstate
Aviation Committee with the Belarusian and Canadian chairpersons
participating.

SRG-100 plane of the Belarusian `Belavia’ Airlines crashed at
Yerevan’s `Zvartnots’ international airport at 04:18 a.m., February
14. After taking off the plane leaned to the left, the pilot tried to
turn it back to the right but the wing touched the ground. Fire
started and the plane was split into two parts.

No death cases were reported. The 18 passengers and the three members
of the crew were injured. Six of the wounded are still in hospital.

The 48-seat SRG-100 plane was made in Canada in 1999. The plane is
owned by a German company, it is registered in Bulgaria and has been
leased out to Belarus. -0

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress