VANCOUVER - Irish navy commander describes grisly recovery of bodies from Air India plane
Bodies, suitcases, seats, wheels and brightly colored clothes littered a wide swath of the ocean after Air India Flight 182 fell from the sky on June 23, 1985, a naval officer testified Wednesday.
Cmdr. James Robinson, now second-in-command of the Irish navy, described the chilling day nearly 18 years ago when the crews of 19 ships and aircraft responded to a call for help after a plane disappeared off the coast of Ireland.
Robinson, wearing his navy uniform, leafed through more than 80 photographs as he described the sighting and recovery of bodies and wreckage. Most of the pictures were taken by a crew member on the Aisling, an Irish warship on which Robinson served as lieutenant-commander.
The naval officer who helped coordinate the operation was the first witness to describe the recovery effort at the British Columbia Supreme Court trial of two men accused of bombing the jetliner, killing 329 people.
Ripudaman Singh Malik, 56, of Vancouver and Ajaib Singh Bagri, 53, of Kamloops, British Columbia, face multiple counts, including first-degree murder, attempted murder and conspiracy in the bombing of Flight 182.
They also face charges in another bombing 54 minutes earlier, when two baggage handlers were killed at Tokyo's Narita airport after a suitcase bomb exploded. Air India Flight 301 was the intended target.
Bodies, suitcases, seats, wheels and brightly colored clothes littered a wide swath of the ocean after Air India Flight 182 fell from the sky on June 23, 1985, a naval officer testified Wednesday.
Cmdr. James Robinson, now second-in-command of the Irish navy, described the chilling day nearly 18 years ago when the crews of 19 ships and aircraft responded to a call for help after a plane disappeared off the coast of Ireland.
Robinson, wearing his navy uniform, leafed through more than 80 photographs as he described the sighting and recovery of bodies and wreckage. Most of the pictures were taken by a crew member on the Aisling, an Irish warship on which Robinson served as lieutenant-commander.
The naval officer who helped coordinate the operation was the first witness to describe the recovery effort at the British Columbia Supreme Court trial of two men accused of bombing the jetliner, killing 329 people.
Ripudaman Singh Malik, 56, of Vancouver and Ajaib Singh Bagri, 53, of Kamloops, British Columbia, face multiple counts, including first-degree murder, attempted murder and conspiracy in the bombing of Flight 182.
They also face charges in another bombing 54 minutes earlier, when two baggage handlers were killed at Tokyo's Narita airport after a suitcase bomb exploded. Air India Flight 301 was the intended target.
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