Dag Hammarskjöld's memorial launched to honour 2nd UN Secretary-General

Forty years after the tragic death of Dag Hammarskjöld, the second Secretary-General of the United Nations, a memorial was launched near the site of the mysterious plane crash in Zambia where he had been killed.

The opening of the memorial in Ndola on Saturday, was welcomed by Secretary-General Kofi Annan, who is attending the annual summit of the Organization of African Unity (OAU) that got under way this morning in Lusaka.

"Four decades after his death, Dag Hammarskjöld continues to inspire people around the world," Mr. Annan said in a statement delivered on his behalf by K.Y. Amoako, the Executive Secretary of the UN Economic Commission for Africa. "This memorial will help us give thanks for his life."

Mr. Hammarskjöld, a native of Sweden, died on 18 September 1961 along with 15 others when their plane crashed while on a peace mission to the Congo.