On September 9, 2024, the city of Nice paid tribute to the 95 victims of the Caravelle Ajaccio-Nice air disaster, which occurred in 1968. Fifty-six years after the accident, the mystery surrounding the causes of the tragedy remains, but the memory of the lost lives is still vivid.
On September 11, 1968, an Air France Caravelle flight from Ajaccio to Nice crashed into the sea off the coast of Antibes. All 95 people on board, including 13 children, perished in the accident. The causes of the disaster remain mysterious. Several hypotheses have been put forward, including an explosion in flight possibly caused by a missile. However, this was never proven. The investigation failed to determine an official cause, leaving doubts and controversies hanging.
Tribute to the Victims and Search for Truth
The ceremony began with a speech by Mathieu Paoli. In his speech, he praised the 95 people who died in the crash on September 11, 1968. He also recalled the survivors’ determination, the families’ desire to know the truth about the crash, and to determine whether a malfunction or missile strike was the cause. He also mentioned the letter from the Élysée in early February 2024, indicating Emmanuel Macron’s willingness to discuss the crash.
The ceremony continued with the reading of a poem in both French and Corsican. A member of one of the victim’s families wrote the poem, which evokes the pain of living apart from loved ones, with little hope of knowing the events of the day of the tragedy.
Subsequently, the victims’ family members paid tribute by placing candles on the monument, followed by the reading of the victims’ names. This was followed by the laying of flowers by the families, the association, the mayor of Ajaccio, the department of Corsica, Air France, the mayor of Nice, the department of the Côte d’Azur, and the President of the Republic.
The Nice gendarmerie band played the Marseillaise immediately afterward. Following this, five people sang a Corsican song a cappella, and then the band played Diu Vi Salvi Regina.
The ceremony ended with the diocesan political and society delegate blessing the memorial monument.
