This Tuesday, September 9, 57 years after the air disaster, the city of Nice commemorated the memory of the victims of the Ajaccio/Nice air crash. Disappeared on September 11, 1968, underwater exploration campaigns will likely be conducted to locate the wreckage of the Caravelle.
10:30 a.m., the Sainte-Hélène church welcomes the first arrivals. Fifty-seven years after the crash of the Air France Caravelle connecting Ajaccio to Nice, which shook France, the families of the 95 victims gathered in this significant place for a religious ceremony. A solemn one-hour ceremony, where the families of the victims, spokespersons, and representatives were united. The speeches accompanied by Corsican chants and numerous prayers led by Father Sylvain Brison resonated in Sainte-Hélène church thus honoring the memory of the deceased.
Mathieu Paoli, son of a victim and president of the association of victims’ families, describes this tribute as “a ceremony just as poignant as in previous years.” Despite the small gathering present for this remembrance, families were pleased to see new people attending: “there are fewer people every year, so it is heartening to see that this event touches other people.” The prayers were not only dedicated to the victims of the disaster but also to those of the Notre-Dame basilica attack and the July 14, 2016 attack which occurred in Nice.
A judicial decision rekindling hope
This tribute precedes a significant step in this tragic event that occurred 57 years earlier. Tomorrow, a meeting at the maritime prefecture in Toulon will take place. The investigating judge in charge of the investigation, as well as the maritime prefect, will decide on the course of the underwater searches planned for the end of the year. The announcement of this judicial decision rekindles hope of seeing the wreckage located more than 2,300 meters deep in the Mediterranean.
For Mathieu Paoli, “the goal is to be present at the time of the operations to uncover the truth about this crash.” The cause of the crash remains unclear, with one hypothesis suspecting the navy of being the cause of this disaster, citing an accidental firing or a military mistake. Two underwater exploration campaigns are to be conducted by the national navy, the first off the coast of Corsica and a second in a wider area. After 57 years of investigations and developments, the families of the 95 victims hope for answers to their questions through the discovery of the wreckage.
