Security Council, Annan voice distress over US airliner crash in New York

Reacting to the crash of an American Airlines passenger plane earlier this morning, members of the United Nations Security Council and Secretary-General Kofi Annan voiced their deep distress over the tragedy, which occurred not far from New York’s main international airport.

“On behalf of the members of the Council I wish to convey our heartfelt sympathy and condolences to the Government and people of the United States, and to the families of those who lost their lives in this terrible incident,” Ambassador Patricia Durrant of Jamaica, the Council’s current president said in a press statement.

For his part, the Secretary-General expressed his profound sympathy to the families of the passengers and crew who were on that flight. His spokesman said that Mr. Annan, who could see from his office window as the smoke billowed from the crash site, encouraged UN staff to remain calm and go about their work normally.

Meanwhile, meetings of various United Nations bodies continued uninterrupted at UN Headquarters in New York amid tightened security following the crash of the airliner that was reportedly on its way to the Dominical Republic with some 246 passengers on board. At 10:00 a.m., US law enforcement officials stopped all vehicles and pedestrians from entering the UN complex, but those restrictions were later partially lifted.