Flight 587 Memorial Dedicated in Rockaways
New York, NY —
A memorial to the victims of the crash of American Airlines 587 was dedicated in the Rockaways yesterday. It was five years ago yesterday that the jetliner went down killing all 260 passengers onboard and five residents of the Belle Harbor neighborhood. WNYC's Arun Venugopal has more.
REPORTER: A bell tolled at 9:16 a.m., to mark the timing of the crash, followed by a reading of all the victims' names. The brown, granite memorial is curved, to embrace those who approach it. Along with the victims' names a Spanish verse is inscribed, that translates as: Afterwards, I want Only Peace.
Artist Freddy Rodriguez says the doorway facing the ocean is angled toward the Dominican Republic, where the plane was headed, and where most of the victims were born.
RODRIGUEZ: It allows the in and out of the country, but its also another dimension, the spiritual dimension of the Gate of paradise: that gate that we all want to go through, when we die.
REPORTER: The crash of Flight 587 took place just 2 months after the September 11 attacks. it was the 2nd worst air accident in U-S history. For WNYC, I'm Arun Venugopal.
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