Nova Scotia premier celebrates 25 years since Swissair Flight 111 crash k**led 229 – Halifax

Premier Tim Houston celebrates the 25th anniversary of the crash of Swissair Flight 111 off Nova Scotia that claimed the lives of 229 pa*sengers and crew.

The MD-11 airliner plunged into waters near Peggy’s Cove on September 2, 1998, while on a flight from New York to Geneva, Switzerland.

In a statement, Houston expressed “the deepest sympathies of all Nova Scotians to the families and loved ones of the victims.”

Houston also points to ma*sive search efforts involving large numbers of local residents, members of the Canadian Armed Forces, Coast Guard and RCMP officers.

The Premier says those who helped in the days following the disaster “represent the best of our province and our country”, adding that “we will be forever grateful for your service”.

Houston says people from across Canada and around the world will gather this weekend to remember the tragedy at two memorial sites in St. Margarets Bay.

“May their memory be a comfort during this difficult time, and know that Nova Scotians hold you in their hearts,” Houston told relatives and friends of the victims.

The crash happened after an electrical fire in the ceiling above the c**kpit spread and the pilots struggled to land the plane.

In 2003, investigators concluded that the fire started when a corroded wire ignited flammable insulation in the plane’s ceiling.

This report from The Canadian Press was first published on September 1, 2023.