Amsterdam remembers dozens killed in Bijlmer plane crash disaster on 32nd anniversary

Use this graf to start: Surviving family members were joined by community members on Friday in commemorating the plane crash that rocked the Bijlmer in Amsterdam. It was 32 years ago that a cargo plane from Israeli airline El Al crashed into a high-rise apartment complex in the Amsterdam-Zuidoost neighborhood. The crash is "part of our national history," said Mayor Femke Halsema on Friday evening at the annual memorial near the “Tree that Saw Everything,” which is at the site of the disaster.

The Boeing 747-200 aircraft crashed into the Groeneveen and Klein-Kruitberg apartment buildings on October 4, 1992. At least 43 people were killed including all three El Al crew members and an El Al employee. It is unclear how many people were killed in total, because it has long been rumored that undocumented immigrants were living with friends and family members in many of the homes. The crash obliterated 40 apartments, and 135 other residential units caught fire.

The airplane departed nearly an hour late, taking off from Schiphol Airport at 6:22 p.m. Minutes later, one of its four engines broke off from the inner portion of the right wing and collided with the right outer engine, which then also separated from the airplane. The crew attempted to circle and land at Schiphol, but the engine separation also damaged the flaps on the right wing. The crew lost control of the airplane as it descended over Weesp and Driemond, and went into a nose dive towards the right.

"For many residents, there is a Zuidoost before the disaster and a Zuidoost after the disaster," Halsema said. "But, I say to the residents among you, many of you have found renewed strength to hand off your district in a better and more beautiful way to the generations that will follow you. After the nightmare of October 4, 1992, you are working on a district where your children can realize their dreams," she continued.

The memorial service began on Friday at 5:15 p.m. at the Tree that Saw Everything. "Zuidoost is coming together again today around this tree. For a listening ear or a comforting word. So that everyone who still lives with the disaster every day, can also find a little peace here and today," the mayor said to the dozens of people present.

The ceremony was scheduled to include a musical performance, the laying of flowers, and a moment of silence. Aside from Halsema, Bijlmer Air Disaster Commemoration Chair Henk van de Belt was set to speak, as was Ineke van Gent. She chaired the ACOI advisory board to convince the Dutch government to declassify more documents about the crash and to make them more publicly available. In September, part of the secret archive was made public. However, some other documents remained classified.

The exact contents of all of the cargo that was carried by the Israeli airline that fateful day is still partially unknown. Although the contents of material loaded in the Netherlands was officially cleared by Dutch Customs officers, it was later revealed that they did not actually inspect the cargo.

It has been the subject of rumors, speculation and uncertainty for more than three decades. Emergency workers and local residents suffered health problems in the years that followed the crash. The black box flight data recorder was never found.