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Harsh Terrain Hampers Efforts to Recover Marines Killed in Crash
Thursday, January 10, 2002
(6:53 AM ET)
By Christopher Newton
The Associated Press

Witnesses reported seeing flames shooting from the plane before it
slammed into the mountainside.

WASHINGTON -- AP
Steep, rocky terrain hindered efforts Thursday to recover the bodies of seven marines killed when their tanker plane crashed into a mountain in Pakistan, defense officials said.

It was the worst U.S. casualty toll of the Afghanistan campaign, and included the first woman killed since U.S.-led Afghan bombing began in early October.

Residents in the region reported seeing helicopters flying over the site early Thursday.

In Kandahar, Afghanistan, where the Marines have established a base, spokesman 1st Lt. John Jarvis said the plane was on its final approach to the Shamsi airfield. It had been on the first of what normally would be four refueling stops per mission, so it likely had an almost full cargo of fuel.
(More: NJ.com News Source)
2002 © The Associated Press.

Dan