Plane crash

A Cypriot airliner carrying 121 people crashed north of Athens on Sunday. The plane, which was bound for Prague, went down just minutes before it was due to make a scheduled stop-over in Athens. The accident happened over mountainous terrain and the Greek authorities have said there are no reports of survivors. There have been conflicting reports about the nationalities of those on board. A Cypriot official said the majority of passangers were Greek Cypriots. According to available information there were no Czech nationals on board. An earlier report according to which there were 80 Greek children aboard the plane has been ruled out.

The Greek authorities have said the accident was most likely caused by a sudden failure of the air conditioning system and resulting loss of pressure and oxygen in the cabin as a result of which the pilots lost consciousness. An investigation is underway.

The Czech Prime Minister Jiri Paroubek and President Vaclav Klaus have sent condolences and extended their sympathy to the victims' families and friends. The Czech foreign ministry and Ruzyne Airport had prepared to deal with a potential crisis, setting up hotlines and having psychologists on stand-by at the airport in case relatives and friends of people bound for Prague had need of them. According to available information their services were not required.