Liu Hang, Chairman of the Auditing Committee of Henan Airlines, bows to apologize in the press conference in Yichun, northeast China’s Heilongjiang Province, Aug. 26, 2010. The air crash in Yichun late Tuesday killed 42 while the remaining 54 surviving the fiery disaster. (Xinhua/Li Yong)

Two days after the deadliest commercial plane crash in China in nearly six years killed 42 people in a remote northeastern city, doubts and speculations continue to swirl and no progress has been reported in the government investigation.

A brief press conference was held Thursday afternoon — the first in more than 40 hours after a Brazil-made ERJ-190 turbine jet run by Henan Airlines crashed at Lindu Airport of Yichun, Heilongjiang Province.

But officials and an airline executive who addressed the conference did not say what caused the accident or whether their data analysis of the two black boxes found on Wednesday had achieved any results.

“The black boxes have been sent to Beijing and our specialists are still working on the data,” said Lu Xue’er, an official in charge of aviation safety at the General Administration of Civil Aviation (CAAC).

A representative from Henan Airlines offered an apology and condolences to the victims and their families.

“We’re grieved over the tragedy,” said Liu Hang, Chairman of the Supervisory Board the airline. “Our condolences for the dead and apologies to all the victims, their families and the whole society.”

He said his company had opened 24-hour hotlines at its headquarters in Zhengzhou, central Henan Province, Harbin and Yichun to help victims’ family members arrange their trips.

Two local government officials also attended the press conference, which lasted for about 10 minutes and left no time for questions.

Before the press conference, everyone stood in silence tribute to mourn the dead.

Tuesday night’s disaster ended CAAC’s record 2,102 days of safe air travel in China — 69 months without an accident.

Of all the 96 people on board, 54 survived with injures. Most of them were hospitalized in Yichun and 15 serious cases were airlifted to Harbin Wednesday night.

Among the serious cases were five children, aged from 6 to 10. Four of them suffered burns and two were still in critical condition, said doctors in Harbin.

Yichun Airport reopened Thursday with the landing of an Airbus 320 run by China Southern Airlines early in the afternoon, carrying some family members of the victims. It flew back to Harbin shortly afterwards, carrying passengers who had been laid over Tuesday night.

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The United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) has completed its investigation into an Aug. 3 incident between Lebanese Armed Forces and the Israeli Defense Forces, UN spokesman Martin Nesirky told reporters here Wednesday.

The exchange of fire took place at the UN-maintained border between the two countries, referred to as the Blue Line, in the area of El Adeisse and resulted in the deaths of two Lebanese soldiers and one Israeli officer. The clash allegedly began after an Israeli patrol cut down a tree that Lebanese forces said was in Lebanon’s territory.

Nesirky said that UNIFIL said “both the Lebanese Armed Forces and the Israeli Defense Forces cooperated fully with the UNIFIL team during the investigation, and that the report confirms the preliminary conclusions of UNIFIL.”

The preliminary conclusion by UNIFIL was that the tree was in fact on Israel’s side of the Blue Line.

“The UNIFIL force commander Major-General Alberto Asarta Cuevas said he hoped that this report would assist the parties in preventing the recurrence of such incidents,” Nesirky said at a daily news briefing.

Cuevas himself said on August 19 that he does not think that Israel or Lebanon want any escalation of border clashes.

The findings of the report, as well as its recommendations and conclusions have been sent to the concerned parties and the UN headquarters as well as the UN Department of Peacekeeping Operations (DPKO), said Nesirky.

He added that the report will go to the Security Council for review, but he was unsure when this would happen.

Related:

UNIFIL commander: Lebanon, Israel avoid escalation in clashes

BEIRUT, Aug. 19 (Xinhua) — Commander of United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) General Alberto Asarta Cuevas said Thursday that Lebanon and Israel don’t want any escalation in their clashes in the border areas.

The commander said in a statement that during a meeting held on Wednesday night between Lebanese and Israeli officers, the two sides said they do not want to escalate the clashes.

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A woman prays for the victims beside the coffins of victims in Hong Kong, south China, Aug. 25, 2010. The charter plane carrying tourist group members, victims’ relatives and the bodies of the eight victims killed in Monday’s hostage crisis in the Philippines arrived at Hong Kong Wednesday. (Xinhua/Huang Xiaoyong)

A chartered plane, carrying the bodies of the eight victims, victims’ relatives and survivors in the hostage crisis in Philippine capital Manila, arrived at the Hong Kong International Airport on Wednesday evening.

Following the arrival, an around-90-minute condolence ceremony was held at the airport, with a senior Hong Kong official and the victims’ relatives laying wreaths on the coffins.

In a speech after the ceremony, Chief Secretary for Administration of the Hong Kong government Henry Tang urged the Philippine government to provide a detailed account of the causes of death and injury.

A girl poses a letter she wrote to her father on the coffin of her father in Hong Kong, south China, Aug. 25, 2010. The charter plane carrying tourist group members, victims’ relatives and the bodies of the eight victims killed in Monday’s hostage crisis in the Philippines arrived at Hong Kong Wednesday. (Xinhua/Huang Xiaoyong)

COMING HOME

The chartered plane of Cathay Pacific flight number CX 2903, which carried the coffins bearing the bodies of the victims, victims’ relatives, several survivors and their kins, arrived in Hong Kong at 7:50 p.m. local time (1150 GMT).

The chartered flight took off around 6:19 p.m. local time in Manila after a brief farewell ceremony.

The eight slain Hong Kongers and the survivors were among the 21 Hong Kong tourists who were caught in a 11-hour hostage crisis in Manila on Monday. It ended on Monday night with eight hostages killed and seven others injured, one of whom still in critical condition.

Upon arrival, Henry Tang, along with President of Hong Kong’s Legislative Council Jasper Tsang, Governor of the Non-official Members of Hong Kong’s Executive Council Leung Chun-ying, Commissioner of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Lu Xinhua, and deputy director of the Liaison Office of the Central People’s Government in Hong Kong Li Gang, stepped onto the plane to receive them home.

After that, a solemn and heart-stricken ceremony was staged at the airport, which was live broadcast by the city’s main TV stations.

Pulled by trailers, coffins of the eight dead Hong Kongers, batch by batch separated by family, passed and stopped before a crowd of officials and families amid mournful music.

Tang and tearful family members of the eight victims laid wreaths on the coffins of the eight victims, before the bodies were sent to Kwai Chung Public Mortuary.

Some of the injured were sent to local hospitals, where Hong Kong’s Chief Executive Donald Tsang later visited them.

Bagpipers play the instruments during a ceremony to bid farewell to victims beside the coffins in Hong Kong, south China, Aug. 25, 2010. The charter plane carrying tourist group members, victims’ relatives and the bodies of the eight victims killed in Monday’s hostage crisis in the Philippines arrived at Hong Kong Wednesday. (Xinhua/Huang Xiaoyong)

CALL FOR THOROUGH INVESTIGATION

In a brief speech, Henry Tang expressed his sorrow and concern for the affected families and promised the city’s government will provide whatever assistance they require.

“We have been overwhelmed by grief in the past three days. Tonight we receive with heavy hearts the victims of this tragedy and their families back from the Philippines,” Tang said.

The official said he hoped Jason Leung, who was still under observation in hospital in Manila after an operation on a gunshot wound to the head, and his mother would return to Hong Kong as soon as possible.

Tang said Hong Kong would continue to urge the Philippine authorities to conduct a comprehensive, thorough and impartial investigation into the incident.

“The truth is the best consolation to the victims and their families. The Hong Kong government stands ready to offer our full assistance and support to the Philippine authorities during the course of investigation,” he said.

Tang said it was imperative the investigation report should at least give a detailed account of the whole incident, including the negotiation process, the police actions, and a detailed account of the causes of death and injury, whether they were all caused by shots fired by the gunman or otherwise.

Hong Kong’s government would convey to the Philippine authorities issues that it believed should be addressed in the investigation, he said.

“The President of the Philippines (Benigno Aquino III) has promised the Chief Executive (of Hong Kong) and Chinese Ambassador Liu Jianchao to conduct a fair and full investigation of the incident and provide the report to Hong Kong as soon as possible,” Tang added.

On Wednesday, Hong Kong continued to be locked in deep sorrow and anger over Monday’s abduction tragedy, as the city’s media unveiled more details of the incident and continued to question the Philippine police on the handling of the incident.

Henry Tang Ying-yen (2nd R), the Chief Secretary for Administration of China’s Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, speaks to the media at the airport in Hong Kong, south China, Aug. 25, 2010. The charter plane carrying tourist group members, victims’ relatives and the bodies of the eight victims killed in Monday’s hostage crisis in the Philippines arrived at Hong Kong Wednesday. (Xinhua/Huang Xiaoyong)

CITY-WIDE MOURNING ON THURSDAY

Hong Kong will hold a city-wide memorial service Thursday to mourn the eight victims, the government said in a statement. Chief Executive Donald Tsang will lead a mourning ceremony to be held at the city’s landmark Golden Bauhinia Square.

The State Council, or China’s cabinet, has advised the HKSAR government that the national flags displayed at all the city’s government offices and Central People’s Government offices in Hong Kong will be flown at half-mast on Thursday.

The mourning ceremony at Golden Bauhinia Square will start at 8 a.m. local time when the national flag and the flag of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region will be hoisted and then lowered and flown at half-mast.

Tsang will lead principal officials of the city’s government to observe a 3-minute silence.

The spokesperson called on Hong Kong’s 7 million residents across the city to participate in the ceremony or mourn the dead at the same time in other ways.

According to the spokesperson, during the mourning ceremony all governmental services except for the emergency and entry-exit services will be suspended, and public servants will join in the mourning at their working venues.

The 21 Hong Kong tourists along with four Filipinos including a driver and a guide on board a bus were taken hostage by a dismissed Filipino policeman on Monday morning.

The hijacker was killed by police in a rescue operation after he shot dead several hostages.

Related:

Mourning ceremony for victims of Manila hostage kicks off

HONG KONG, Aug. 26 (Xinhua) — A mourning ceremony for eight victims of the hostage-taking tragedy in Manila, Philippines, kicked off at 8:00 a.m. local time Thursday at Hong Kong’s landmark Golden Bauhinia Square.

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