The report of the Lockerbie Fatal Accident Inquiry (FAI), which was held at Dumfries in Scotland from October 1990 to February 1991, explained how Pan Am Flight 103 was sabotaged. At the International Conference on Cyber Security in New York, FBI Director Christopher Wray discussed how the FBI is evolving to stay ahead of threats in the digital age. From there, she went to work as a volunteer lawyer for the Northern California ACLU. Some survivors of the ill-fated PanAm flight 73 recount the sordid memories of that September day in 1986 when the airhostess gave up her life in the line of duty. Sherene says she knew then that time was running out. They have thrown every bit of their resources into trying to shut her up.. Hassan Abd Latif Safarini appeared in court Wednesday to begin the sentencing phase for his role as lead hijacker of Pan Am Flight 73. T. M. George, 45, an auto parts store manager, was wounded in the back when he tried to shield his family from gunfire. My mother was trying to save me while Neerja saved other children.I wanted to use the loo. He spoke to Witness about that terrible disaster. Two of the six remain in the industry. It showed they were ruthless killers," says Sunshine. The $5 million reward is offered through the State Departments Rewards for Justice Program. Twenty people killed, more than 100 injured. Khanjan Dalal, who survived the hijack of Pan Am Flight 73 in September 1986, has lauded Sonam Kapoor starrer "Neerja" a biopic on Neerja Bhanot, the flight bursar who lost her life while saving others on the hijacked flight. Galas son, Bharat, 32, an Orange County motel owner, met her Monday and interpreted for her. At least 29 other passengers, including 24 American citizens, were being treated at U.S. military hospitals in West Germany. Jenny White's parents Bryan and Margaret were touring the United States, stopping off in New Orleans and preparing to fly to Las Vegas on July 9, 1982. The FAI report concluded that Pan Am 103's 16 crew and 243 named passengers, including Bernt Wilmar Carlsson (born on 21 November 1938 and residing at Apartment 30, 207 West 106th Street, New York, New York 10025 . Nupoor and Madhvi slipped off the edge of the wing, fracturing bones as they hit the tarmac around 20 feet (6 metres) below. We were even scared to look at him.. The great eye opener though was the compassion shown by Pakistanis. Thats when the aggressive terrorist came up to us with his gun, warning us not to talk. Hassan Abd Latif Safarini appeared in court Wednesday to begin the sentencing phase for his role as lead hijacker of Pan Am Flight 73. In a sense, hers is an utterly American stance. Neerja was standing right next to the exit. These charges will serve as the basis for the upcoming criminal trial of defendant Safarini. One of the survivors and also eyewitness of hijacked Pan-Am flight in the year 1986. December 12, 2002 - The government files a notice of its intent to seek the death penalty against defendant Safarini, as well as a legal brief in response to defendant Safarini's motion seeking to bar the availability of the death penalty in this case. Years later, the Libyan government admitted having planned the attack and agreed to US demands to pay compensation to the American citizens onboard. But Pan-American Flight 759 crashed . Then we were told to rest our heads on our hands and bend down. Witness is a programme of the . At the airport we identified them and they were captured by the security officials. Mrs. Georges husband was one of several survivors who were brought off a Pan American World Airways jetliner at Los Angeles International Airport in wheelchairs. March 27, 1977 is a date permanently etched in aviation history. On September 5, 1986, Thexton boarded Pan Am Flight 73 in Karachi. Trahan, dubbed the "Miracle Baby of Pan Am Flight 759," was the sole survivor of the crash, sustaining no serious injuries. "Neerja's life may have been saved were conditions in the hospital better.". He said he was looking for American fighter planes," says Sherene. Meanwhile, inside the plane, 29-year-old American passenger Rajesh Kumar was pulled out of his seat and made to kneel in front of one of the open doors, with a gun to his head. Over the next few hours on the upper deck, Safarini let his guard down several times, Sunshine says. Nearly 361 passengers, ground crew and 13 flight attendants spent 16 . BY xms3200 - Sun Oct 30, 2005 9:04 am. One was naturalized citizen Rajesh Kumar, 29, of Huntington Beach. After the terrorists opened fire, I lay down flat fearing I could get killed any moment. 'Flight 73' is a Non-fiction, based on the true events that had happened on 6th September, 1986 while Pan-Am Clipper 73 was hijacked on the ground in Karachi, Pakistan. (Credits: Solo shots - individuals' own; group shot: Pan Am crew Facebook page), The crew now: (From top left to bottom right), all credits to the individuals) Sherene, Massey, Madhvi, Sunshine, Dilip, Nupoor, Passenger Mike Thexton has praised the flight attendants' bravery, A film has recently been released about Neerja Bhanot, who was fatally injured in the hijack. The couple grabbed their daughters and ran to the exit, only to find themselves on a wing, 18 feet above the ground, without an escape chute. She went to save the kids who were stuck inside and got shot from behind. One of those survivors was Purser When our flight landed in Karachi, the hijackers entered the aircraft wearing security guard uniforms. See Her Life in Photos, Mickey Guyton and Grant Savoy's Relationship Timeline, Girl, 11, Speaks Out After Dad's Bear Hug Saves Her Life in Airplane Crash, Gloria Estefan and Emilio Estefan's Relationship Timeline, The Cutest Longterm Celebrity Couple Throwback Photos, All of Princess Diana's PEOPLE Magazine Covers Through the Years, Shaquille O'Neal and Ex Shaunie's Relationship Timeline, On the 110th Anniversary of Titanic's Sinking, Revisit Chilling Tales of Life and Death from the PEOPLE Archives. Pity that she was shot at. The door nearest the wing had been opened in manual, which meant that the emergency slide did not deploy. Though nearly everyone was paralyzed with fear, Neerja Bhanot wasted no time in trying to diffuse the situation. CORNELIUS, MRS. D., Woodland Hill, Calif. HALLDORSON, Raymond, Laguna Hills, Calif. JOHNSTON, Patricia, Newport Beach, Calif. McCULLOUGH, Gertrude, Santa Barbara, Calif. MITCHELL, Walter, Kelowna, British Columbia, Canada, MITCHELL, Evonne, Kelowna, British Columbia, Canada. Calling the fight sad and disheartening, Newberger said the sharing clause was originally put in the agreement to stop infighting among the 178 plaintiffs. Another person who was on the wings jumped down and broke his legs. May 19, 2003 - A status hearing was held during which the Court decided to vacate (cancel) the September 8th trial date, pending the resolution of the government's motion for the court to reconsider its ruling barring the death penalty in this case. . One of the hijackers removed a blanket and covered her with it because she was wearing a short skirt. Suffice it to say there are many shades of gray. The two girls narrowly escaped a deadly fusillade. It was a strange feeling. He made me wear a burkha and we stepped out as the security wasnt allowing me to step out. [17], One of the four, Jamal Saeed Abdul Rahim, was allegedly killed in a dr By India Today Web Desk: On this day, exactly 31 years ago, a young flight attendant named Neerja Bhanot boarded Pan Am Flight 73 that would be hijacked on its way to the United States of America. We put her in the ambulance. Interim status hearing dates were set for February 18, 2004, and April 14, 2004. The Abu Nidal Organisation (ANO), which they were members of, was opposed to US and Israeli policy in the Middle East. He joked and flirted, invited her to go with him to Cyprus, and promised to teach her to swim. The court suspended the hearing before it was completed due to a lack of sufficient interpreters for the defendant. The terrorists, members of the Abu Nidal organization, had planned to crash the plane into a sensitive Israeli target in Tel Aviv. The case is being investigated by the Bureaus Washington Field Office. They also want people to know they dearly miss their colleagues Neerja Bhanot and Meherjee Kharas. TORRECH . As the movie Neerja is releasing today, I thought it would be great to bring this story to all of you. But for how long could one possibly bow down? Mike was made to sit on the floor, and like the other passengers, keep his hands above his head. May 5, 2003 - The court heard testimony from two FBI agents in connection with the defendant's motion to suppress statements and the defendant's speedy trial motion. Dilip Bidichandani, another steward, is adamant that the pilots' escape actually saved more lives. Then I was pushed gently from an exit and I landed on the tarmac. Once they finally got to the hospital, the chaos continued, Sherene says. Doctors did not think shed recover. I had a bullet injury on the right leg and the whole of the left leg up to my thigh was burnt with the grenade. There were 14 flight attendants on board, 12 . Janki Vyas VasantProfession: Founder of Samvedna, an NGOAge: 51At the tender age of 20, I saw death so closely, losing two of my close friend and a teacher. (Karen T. Borchers/Mercury News). There was a bloody end - 22 people killed and about 150 injured. The motions hearing will go forward on May 5, 2003. I hid below the seats so I was saved. They occasionally worked the same flight and ran into each other at layovers. The stench of her blood haunts me even today.". as "extremely brave, selfless and clever". Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites. There were huge streaks of light breaking the darkness. There were 14 flight attendants on board, 12 of whom were preparing for take-off. 2 and Beyond, FROM THE ARCHIVES: The Shocking Death of Princess Diana, 25 Years Ago Today. The adrenaline was doing its work until I realised I had a major injury. DE BEAULIEU, Francoise Colbert, New York ?? Lynne Carol Hartunian , 21, Schenectady, N.Y. (SUNY Oswego) Anthony Lacey Hawkins , 57 . July 21, 2003 - The court began hearing arguments on the government's motion for the court to reconsider its ruling barring the death penalty in this case. As the shooting began to die down, said George, a flight attendant called out that an emergency exit was open. The way I looked at life changed.I remember the terrorists dashing in from the front door near the pantry, holding Neerja at gun point. A passenger informed that his mother had probably had died inside. She could have easily escaped first but she chose to push everyone else out. For her part, Gargi firmly rejects the notion that she is trying to put herself ahead of any other victim. We sat in that position for almost three hours.After a point we couldnt help but plead them to let us use the washrooms. A total of 112 survivors of Flight 73 had arrived in the United States late Sunday, landing at New York's Kennedy International Airport, where they were met by relatives, friends, reporters and . No one aboard the KLM aircraft survived, and only 71 people escaped from the Pan Am wreckage. "It was 5th September 1986. BKELUND, Christine, New York, flight attendant, HIRANO, Sachiko, New York, fight attendant, LUKER, Marilyn. I knew if I didnt speak up for myself, this would haunt me for the rest of my life.. Under the plea agreement announced in court, the government has agreed not to litigate further the Courts prior ruling that the death penalty was not available in this case in exchange for Safarini agreeing to the following terms, among other things: (1) a guilty plea to all 95 counts of the indictment; (2) an agreement that Safarini will be sentenced to the maximum term of imprisonment on each count, with some counts to run consecutively and some to run concurrently, for a total sentence of three consecutive life sentences plus 25 years, which is equivalent to 160 years in prison; (3) an agreement that, as the result of the consecutive sentencing, there will be no mandatory parole release date for Safarini during his lifetime; (4) an acknowledgment that, despite the fact that Safarini will have a right to parole proceedings under governing law at the time the hijacking took place, the government intends to oppose his release on parole at any time during his lifetime; (5) an agreement by Safarini to waive any appeal of the sentence, to waive any collateral attack on the plea or the sentence and to forego any motion for reduction of sentence; and (6) an agreement that Safarini will cooperate whenever, and in whatever form, the United States shall reasonably request, including by testifying against his co-defendants, if and when any of them comes into United States custody. They shot a certain US citizen by the name of Rajesh.I remember seeing Neerja each time the terrorists asked her to give us instructions. One lady amongst us, Trupti, complained of a headache. Three lives would be saved.". He was shot by the hijackers when, according to some other passengers, he objected to their rough treatment of a flight attendant. The powerful emotions that stick in Gargi Dav's heart and mind from the hijacking of Pan Am Flight 73 nearly a quarter-century ago mix the horrific with the unexpectedly kind, the blessing of . The Dav sisters scampered over the top of the seats to find the emergency exit as the gunfire and grenades erupted. I was so fortunate to be surrounded by a loving family, including my grandparents from both sides, she told the New Orleans Times-Picayune in an interview highlighting the anniversary of the tragedy. He told the four men that the airport authorities were looking for pilots to fly them where they needed to go. "It was chaotic, like a war zone, in there. Bloodstain is seen on one of the wings of the Pan Am jetliner on the Karachi Airport, Pakistan on 6 September 1986. Sherene, and another colleague Ranee Vaswani, were the last two hostages to leave the plane. We were aware they took hold of Rajesh, a US national. After a short break all the Flight 73 crew returned to Pan Am for at least a few years. The elderly woman, a resident of a village outside Bombay, had been on her way to Southern California with Kumar and Kumars aunt, Gangaben Patel. Clipper 1736 Pan Am 1736 carries 378 passengers, 16 crew, and two Pan Am employees, who boarded in Tenerife and are sitting in the cockpit jumpseats. A plea proceeding date was set for Tuesday, December 16, 2003, at 10:00 a.m. and the status hearing previously scheduled for November 17, 2003, has been canceled. Get FBI email alerts She hopes that, in speaking out, "we can all connect through our survival stories and form a fabric of power and strength going forward". When the lights did go out, all the flight attendants and passengers were in the middle section of the cabin, several seated on the ground in the aisles and near the doors. It was a short jump to reach the wing of the plane. The firm's court filings estimate that $330 million is owed to Pan Am 73 survivors. An official website of the United States government. An airhostess, who felt unwell, too lay down next to Trupti. Passengerlist of the PamAm. The pact the Bush administration signed with the Libyan government, which dismissed all other existing lawsuits, applied only to the American passengers on Flight 73, who were in a distinct minority. It was just before 06:00 and Pan Am Flight 73, on a stopover in Karachi from Mumbai, was scheduled to continue on to Frankfurt, en route to New York. Khanjan Dalal, who survived the hijack of Pan Am Flight 73 in September 1986, has lauded Sonam Kapoor starrer "Neerja". All have coped in different ways. They then went through the bags of passports they had collected, secretly sifting out any remaining American ones and tucking them under their seats or concealing them in their clothing. The Indian-born couple had taken their children on a vacation to Bombay and were returning home when the aircraft was commandeered. I noticed that the evacuation hatch on the ceiling of the cockpit was open, but I pretended not to. Neerja had been shot in her hip and was bleeding heavily, but was conscious. Our nation-wide commitment to reducing gun crime in America. They were at every exit trying to push us out of the aircraft. Read about our approach to external linking. Their guns were on silent, so we didnt realise he was killed and thrown out. They turned and ran back through the plane--and some gunfire--to the other wing, where they were able to slide to safety. It changed my perception. (Neerja Bhanot's pictures courtesy: Aneesh Bhanot). Forty minutes into the flight, the plane had reached the coast of Scotland. That fateful night our tickets were not confirmed. It remains the worlds deadliest air disaster. All Access Digital offer for just 99 cents! MUMBAI-Neerja Bhanot died on the night of Sept. 5, 1986, after terrorists killed her for helping passengers escape Pan Am Flight 73 hijacked at Karachi airport, Pakistan. "The flight attendant smiled throughout the incident despite the fear surrounding her," Mitra said. I knew we couldnt jump down from the high wing. In the past several weeks, the Indian and Indian-American victims of the Pan Am 73 flight have renewed their efforts in both Washington and New Delhi, pushing the two governments to get them the . They didn't discuss the hijack. On December 21 Pan Am Flight 103 crashed on Lockerbie after the bombing of a Boeing 747-121. June 16, 2003 - The government filed its reply brief in support of its motion for the court to reconsider its ruling barring the death penalty in this case. At the . To preserve these articles as they originally appeared, The Times does not alter, edit or update them. He stopped me from writing. May 30, 2003 - Defendant filed his response to the government's motion for the court to reconsider its ruling barring the death penalty in this case. It was just before 06:00 and Pan Am Flight 73, on a stopover in Karachi from Mumbai, was scheduled to continue on to Frankfurt, en route to New York. The crew of Pan Am Flight 73 (three of whom are pictured here with their colleagues) were all in their early to mid 20s at the time of the hijack. An airhostess, who felt unwell, too lay down next to Trupti. August 28, 2002 - A 95-count superseding indictment is returned by a grand jury in the District of Columbia, charging defendant Safarini and four co-defendants. Otherwise wed have panicked. Hassan Abd Latif Safarini appeared in court Wednesday to begin the sentencing phase for his role as lead hijacker of Pan Am Flight 73. The air conditioner stopped, the lights went off. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. We take you down the emotional journey "Neerja was standing right next to the exit. Age: 50Profession: BusinessmanI was 21 then. The defendant's response will be due on May 30, 2003, and the government's reply will be due on June 16, 2003. It's been over 25 years since the hijacking of Pan Am Flight 73, in Karachi, Pakistan, and a number of survivors are renewing their calls to Congress for compensation from the Foreign Claims .

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