20 feared dead in French island plane crash

By JERUSALEM POST STAFF
A small airplane with 20 people aboard crashed into the sea after taking off from the French Polynesian island of Moorea, an official said Friday. The Tahiti-bound Twin Otter DHC6 turboprop, carrying 19 passengers and a pilot, crashed into the sea shortly after noon Thursday, said a local Civil Aviation Authority spokeswoman. French navy ships had recovered some bodies about 1.6 kilometers from Moorea airport and outside the island's lagoon, and were searching for survivors, although it was feared there were none, the spokeswoman said. The cause of the crash was not immediately clear.