The death toll in the Oct. 4 El Al air disaster in Amsterdam has again been reduced, to 52, including the four Israelis aboard.
All but 13 bodies have been identified.
The Dutch Transport Ministry has confirmed that the crash of the cargo jet into an Amsterdam apartment complex was almost certainly caused by metal fatigue when engine fuse pins gave way.
Investigators believe the pins failure loosened one right-wing engine, which tore away and knocked out the second starboard engine.
A similar failure is believed responsible for the crash of another Boeing 747 jetliner last year, that one near Taiwan.
Meanwhile, the Israeli Embassy in The Hague has distributed two tons of games and toys to the children of the two apartment buildings damaged by the crash.
The toys were donated by some 20 toy and game manufacturers, at the initiative of the manufacturing firm of Ordea in Kibbutz Malkiya.
The crates of toys were flown to Amsterdam by El Al and distributed by embassy personnel at the beginning of the week.
JTA has documented Jewish history in real-time for over a century. Keep our journalism strong by joining us in supporting independent, award-winning reporting.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
