Human remains found in 1957 plane wreckage in Lake Constance

Human remains found in 1957 shipwreck in Lake Constance Keystone-SDA

A team of divers says it has come across human remains during an operation involving the wreckage of the Swissair DC-3 which crashed into Lake Constance in 1957.

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Interviewed by the Swiss News Agency Keystone-ATS, the police of canton Thurgau confirmed the discovery of a “bone-like object”.

It is now a matter of clarifying whether what emerged from the seabed – at a depth of 210 metres – is indeed human remains. This task has been entrusted to the Institute of Forensic Medicine in St Gallen.

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The team of divers – equipped with state-of-the-art instruments and sonar – was engaged this weekend in an operation to recover the engine of Swissair’s Douglas DC-3 HB-IRK aircraft, which crashed on June 18, 1957, during a practice flight. Nine people lost their lives. The remains may thus belong to one of the victims of the crash nearly 70 years ago.

The plane, which took off at 8:57am from Zurich, crashed into Lake Constance for reasons never clarified only an hour and 20 minutes later. The bodies of four of the nine crew members have not yet been recovered.

“The situation among the debris at the bottom of the lake is chaotic,” said Silvan Paganini, president of the association. “With the help of an underwater robot, the dive team documented the find and immediately informed the cantonal police,” he added.

A sample was then taken and brought to shore for further investigation. Out of respect for the victims and their families, the association declined to provide further information.

Translated from Italian by DeepL/ts

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