Nearly 150 relatives of victims of a 1985 Japan Airlines jumbo jet crash offered prayers to the dead Sunday in a ceremony to mark the 16th anniversary of the accident in Gunma Prefecture.
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| Relatives of those who perished in the 1985 crash of a JAL jet place flowers at a memorial erected near the crash site. |
The relatives and JAL officials offered a minute's silent prayer for the 520 victims at 6:56 p.m. -- the time the Boeing 747 crashed into Mount Osutaka in the prefecture -- after lighting a candle for each of the victims.
The ceremony was held in Irei-no Sono park at the foot of the mountain. All 15 crew members and 505 of the 509 passengers on board were killed in the crash, making it the worst single-aircraft accident in history.
Earlier in the day, relatives of the victims climbed the mountain and prayed at memorial markers for the victims set up around the crash site.