| Accident summary | |
|---|---|
| Date | July 19, 1994 |
| Type | In-flight explosion by bombing, unsolved crash |
| Site | near Colón, Panama |
| Passengers | 18 |
| Crew | 3 |
| Injuries | 0 |
| Fatalities | 21 |
| Survivors | 0 |
| Aircraft type | Embraer EMB 110 Bandeirante |
| Operator | Alas Chiricanas |
| Tail number | HP-1202AC |
| Flight origin | Enrique Adolfo Jiménez Airport, Colón, Panama |
| Destination | Tocumen International Airport, Panama City, Panama |
Alas Chiricanas Flight 00901, registry HP-1202AC, was an Embraer EMB 110 Bandeirante aircraft flying en-route from Colón city to Panama city which exploded shortly after departing Enrique Adolfo Jiménez Airport, on the night of July 19, 1994. All 21 on board, including 12 Jews, were killed in the bombing. Both Panamanian and American authorities consider the bombing an unsolved crime and an act of terrorism.
The wreckage of the Bandeirante was strewn about the Santa Rita Mountains near Colón. Panamanian investigators quickly determined that the explosion had been caused by a bomb, probably detonated by a suicide bomber aboard the aircraft. Only one body was not claimed by relatives; this body is believed to be that of a man named Jamal Lya.[1] Officials suspected that the incident was an act of terrorism directed against Jews in part because it took place one day after the AMIA bombing in Buenos Aires, Argentina which killed 85 people and which was also strongly suspected to be an act of terrorism against Jews.
Soon after Flight 00901 crashed, an organization using the name Ansar Allah, or "Followers of God", issued a statement expressing support for the bombing, and claiming that the attack was a suicide operation by a person with an Arab name. Later, it was determined the organization did not exist; many point to Hezbollah as the culprit. Panamanian authorities have made no arrests in connection with the bombing; The case remains officially unsolved.
|
||||||||||||