Mannheim (dpa/lsw) – In Mannheim, a commemoration ceremony is held to commemorate the helicopter crash that killed 46 people 40 years ago. 40 mourners are expected at the city’s airfield on Sunday. The list of speakers includes Mannheim’s mayor Peter Kurz (SPD), Colonel Reid E. Furman, commander of the U.S. Army Garrison Rhineland-Palatinate, and Peter Röttele, who coordinates the exchange with the relatives and friends of the victims.
The commemoration commemorates a particularly tragic moment in the history of the town twinning between Mannheim, Swansea and Toulon. 40 years ago, on the occasion of the 375th anniversary of the city, people from these cities came to Mannheim to take part in the International Airship Days at the airport. The plan was to set a sporting record in the formation jump. 46 young people lost their lives in the process: Shortly after take-off, the US Army Chinook helicopter used crashed on the Mannheim-Heidelberg autobahn with a technical defect and immediately caught fire.
All inmates from Germany (6), Great Britain (9), USA (8) and France (23) perished. The crash was considered the worst helicopter accident in Germany at the time.
According to the city, many relatives still take part in the annual commemoration, mostly siblings and children. Most of the parents of the victims have since died. At the same time, a commemorative event will take place in Toulon.
