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Bodies of Spanish Peacekeepers Flown Home - 2003-05-28


The bodies of 62 Spanish peacekeepers who were killed when their plane crashed in Turkey Monday have been flown home.

Military aircraft carrying the soldier's bodies landed Wednesday at Torrejon de Ardoz military base on the outskirts of the capital, Madrid, ahead of a funeral attended by King Juan Carlos as well as government and military officials.

Some family members disrupted the ceremonies shouting insults at Defense Minister Federico Trillo, accusing him of ignoring the safety of the troops by allowing them to travel on a Ukrainian plane they claimed was unsafe.

All 62 Spanish peacekeepers and 13 crew members aboard the plane died when it slammed into a mountain near Turkey's Black Sea city of Trabzon in thick fog. The peacekeepers were returning from a mission in Afghanistan.

Authorities are investigating the cause of the crash.

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