Jordan's crown prince sole survivor of C-130 crash
Special to World Tribune.com
MIDDLE EAST NEWSLINE
Wednesday, July 26, 2000
AMMAN -- Jordan's crown prince has survived an aircraft crash that
killed 14 commandos on their way back from a training exercise.
The crash took place about 6 a.m. Tuesday [11 p.m. EST Monday] near the
southern city of Mafraq. Jordanian sources said 14 commandos were killed
when a C-130 plane crashed after completing a training exercise.
Crown Prince Hamza participated in the training exercise but parachuted
to safety. Hamza, 20, is the half-brother to King Abdullah and heir to the
throne. He is the youngest son of the late King Hussein.
Jordanian sources said minutes after Hamza parachuted, the cargo jet
crashed. "On the morning of Tuesday July 25, and as a result of a mechanical
fault, a C-130 air force plane with 14 troops of different ranks on board,
crashed killing them all," the official Petra news agency said.
The C-130 contained 60 elite troops. Jordanian sources said it was not
clear what system in the plane failed.