HAVANA CRASH
Spotlight fixes on leased aircraft as Cuba investigates deadliest plane disaster in years
Havana — Cuban authorities said the fiery crash of an ageing Boeing passenger jet on Friday shortly after takeoff from Havana had killed 110 of the 113 on board, making it the Caribbean island’s deadliest air disaster in nearly 30 yearns. Flags flew at half-mast in Cuba on Saturday and Sunday while authorities worked to recover evidence from the crash site and to identify the crash victims. One black box was retrieved, officials said. Allegations of previous safety complaints against Damojh, the Mexican company that leased the nearly 40-year-old Boeing 737 to national carrier Cubana, also began to surface. Damojh declined to comment, while Mexico’s Directorate General of Civil Aeronautics said a new audit would be undertaken to ensure it was still "fulfilling norms". Meanwhile, Cuban authorities told reporters on Saturday at Havana airport that of the passengers killed on the domestic flight to the eastern city of Holguin, 99 were Cuban, two Argentines, one Mexican and two were Sahr...
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