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| By: Associated Press |
| Published: March 26, 2006 |
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Chileans placed flowers on the caskets of 10 of the 12 Americans killed in a bus crash in the Andes as their bodies were brought to an airport Friday in a silent motorcade escorted by police, a rabbi and grim relatives who came to collect their dead.
The bodies of two other victims whose spouses survived the tragedy were also sent home hours later Friday after their husbands were released from a hospital.
The first group was scheduled to arrive at Kennedy International Airport at about 6 p.m. EST on a cargo plane, Celebrity Cruises spokeswoman Lynn Martenstein said. A second plane carrying Harold Ruchelman and Bernard Diamond and the bodies of their wives, Carole Ruchelman and Marian Diamond, was expected to land in Newark, New Jersey, at 11:15 p.m., she said.
Their bus plunged more than 100 meters (300 feet) off a cliff Wednesday, killing the 12 elderly travelers from New Jersey and Connecticut. The tour guide and the driver were also injured.
The Chilean government and the Miami-based cruise line said they weren't responsible for the tragedy. Celebrity said Andino Tours wasn't among the agencies it authorizes to run side trips for passengers during port stops, and that the victims made their own arrangements to visit a national park. And Chile said the operator of the bus, Andino Tours, was not yet registered to carry passengers.
And while authorities were examining what happened, lead investigator Manuel Gonzalez told Radio Cooperativa that officials suspect the driver fell asleep.
The small New Jersey synagogue where six of the dead had worshipped planned to honor them Saturday, said Cantor Eli Perlman, spiritual leader of the Jewish Congregation of Concordia.
"We'll be remembering them during the sermon and at the end of the service," he said. "I'm going to focus on what's happened the past few days and how it's changed our lives, and how we go forward from here.
"We will take the Torah out of the ark and chant prayers in Hebrew and recite the names of the dead," he said. "It should be very touching to the people."
Celebrity President Dan Hanrahan told reporters in Miami that the victims were part of a 64-member B'nai B'rith group traveling on the Millennium.
After docking in Arica, a port city surrounded by wind-swept deserts near the Peruvian border, the tourists apparently left the port area and took the bus to Lauca National Park, a wild Andean refuge featuring dramatic geysers, herds of llamas and one of the world's highest lakes.
They were returning to the Millennium when the bus swerved to avoid an approaching truck and plunged off the rugged highway, fell down a rocky incline and came to rest on its side, city hall spokesman Juan Carlos Poli said.
Celebrity identified the dead as Carole Ruchelman, 63; Marian Diamond, 76; Marvin Bier, 79; Shirley Bier, 76; Maria Eggers, 71; Hans Eggers, 72; Robert Rubin, 72; Barbara Rubin, 69; Frieda Kovar, 74; and Arthur Kovar, 67 - all from Monroe Township - and Linda Greenfield, 63, and Ira Greenfield, 68, of Stamford, Connecticut.
The driver, Cristian Contreras, and guide, Ivan Guerra, both from Arica, were in better condition.
Pedro Mufeler, Chile's regional tourism director, told The Associated Press that Andino Tours had filed a request for registration about two weeks ago but was awaiting approval. He did not elaborate. Jorge Caceres, head of the Transportation Ministry's regional office, said the bus was not registered and therefore not allowed to carry passengers.
The cruise line encourages guests to go on tours vetted by Celebrity because it puts contractors through a safety review, he said, but added: "What we can't do is tell guests what to do on their own time."
The Millennium departed Arica on Thursday morning en route to Peru, and was scheduled to make port in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, on April 2.
Friends urged mourners to focus on the joy the victims had felt about their excursion.
"You just have to remember the wonderful things about these people, that they were on a happy trip," said Evelyn Goldstein, president of the Jewish Congregation of Concordia in Monroe Township. "I think that's important to remember."
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On the Net: http://www.celebrity.com |
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