Thousands mourn victims of air collision over Germany in Russian city

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Sunday, July 14, 2002

Thousands mourn victims of air collision over Germany in Russian city

Thousands of mourners gathered in Russia's Ural Mountains city of Ufa on Saturday to bid farewell to28 people killed in last week's mid-air crash over Germany.

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Thousands of mourners gathered in Russia's Ural Mountains city of Ufa on Saturday to bid farewell to28 people killed in last week's mid-air crash over Germany.

More than 1,000 people came to the central square of Ufa, capital of Bashkortostan region where most of the victims came from, to attend Muslim and Russian Orthodox mourning ceremonies, Russian news agencies reported.

A total of 71 people died on the night of July 1 when a RussianTu-154, carrying mostly schoolchildren on a trip to Spain, collided with a Boeing 757 cargo plane over the Swiss-German border.

Sergei Mironov, speaker of the Russian Federation Council, parliament's upper house, offered condolences on behalf of RussianPresident Vladimir Putin in Saturday's mourning.

"No matter whose fault it finally will be, of air traffic controllers, the crews, tourist companies or evil fate, we the adults are to be blamed as we did not protect our children enough," Mironov told the packed square.

Swiss President Kaspar Villiger, who had originally planned to attend the ceremony, canceled his visit after Russian officials warned that his presence might cause strong emotions among the mourners, many of whom blame the Swiss air traffic controllers forthe crash.

A similar service for 31 of the victims was held in Ufa last Monday.

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