N.S. premier marks 25 years since crash of Swissair Flight 111 that killed 229 people

HALIFAX -

Premier Tim Houston is marking 25 years since the crash of Swissair Flight 111 off Nova Scotia claimed the lives of 229 passengers and crew.

The MD-11 passenger jet plunged into the waters near Peggy's Cove on Sept. 2, 1998, during a flight from New York to Geneva, Switzerland.

In a statement, Houston extends the "deepest sympathies of all Nova Scotians to the families and loved ones of the victims."

Houston also notes the massive search effort involving large numbers of local residents, Canadian Armed Forces and coast guard members and RCMP officers.

The premier says those who helped in the days following the disaster "represent the very best of our province and country," adding that "we are 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 on St. Margarets Bay.

"May their memory be a comfort at this difficult time, and please know that Nova Scotians hold you in their hearts," Houston says to the relatives and friends of the victims.

The crash occurred after an electrical fire in the ceiling over the cockpit spread and the pilots struggled to get the aircraft on the ground.

In 2003, investigators concluded that the fire began when a corroded wire ignited a flammable insulation covering in the aircraft's ceiling.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 1, 2023.

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