Grieving relatives turned their wrath against Singapore Airlines yesterday as investigators examined whether its jumbo jet crashed after using a runway closed for repairs, hit an object or was brought down by a typhoon. The airline's officials, dealing with the first crash in the history of one of Asia's most profitable and cash-rich carriers, faced heavy criticism from some members of the victims' families.
Taiwan transportation officials said two injured passengers had died in hospital, pushing the death toll from Tuesday night's crash to 81. Another 82 people were injured and 16 were unhurt.
Investigators combed the wreckage at Chiang Kai-shek International Airport for clues to what caused the Boeing 747-400 to crash, break into three parts and explode in flames.
Angry relatives of victims demanded answers, interrupting news conferences in Taipei and Singapore to rebuke airline executives for leaving them in the dark for hours about the fate of their loved ones.
"Everyone here knows who the dead are but we were still crying back in Singapore and up until now, we know nothing. You owe us an explanation!" a Singaporean woman shouted at Mr Cheong Choong Kong, Singapore Airlines (SIA) chief executive officer and deputy chairman, in Taipei yesterday.
"Nobody knows anything, we were just there at the airport (in Singapore), crying, crying, crying!" she said.
Two dozen family members from Singapore arrived in Taipei on Wednesday night to try to identify their relatives, whose bodies lay in a makeshift morgue in a flight terminal. Many bodies were burnt beyond recognition.
The Los Angeles-bound SQ 006, carrying 159 passengers and 20 crew, hit the tarmac seconds after takeoff, lashed by strong winds and rains from Typhoon Xangsane.
Investigators, who found the black boxes on Wednesday, were looking into whether it took off from a parallel runway that was closed for repairs and hit construction equipment. SIA spokesman Mr Rick Clements dismissed this, saying the runway was well-lit.
A Taiwan aviation investigator said that lights on a taxiway to the closed runway had been on. Lights on taxiways to both runways were on because they were on the same switch, Mr Kay Yong said.
An initial review of the flight data recorder indicated the jet had maintained the same heading through takeoff. Much of the wreckage from the plane rests on the closed runway.
A government aviation investigator said the plane struck and damaged one or two excavators parked near the runways, but it was not yet clear whether this occurred before or after the crash.
AFP adds: Twenty-three sailors on a Panamanian-registered freighter were feared dead after their ship sank off northern Taiwan in stormy weather, officials said yesterday.
An Indonesian crew member, identified by Keelung port authorities as Mr Tahar, swam ashore after the 5,927-tonne Manila Spirit ran aground and broke in rough seas off the northern township of Juifang on Wednesday.