German Lawyers Put Compensation for Russian Jet Crash at 100 Mln Euros

German lawyers put at 100 million euros the total sum to be paid as compensation to the families of those killed in a Russian Tu-154 jet's July 1, 2002 crash in southern Germany.

Speaking at a press conference in Berlin Wednesday, Munich-based lawyer Michael Witti said that, according to estimates made by his colleagues and himself, some 1.37 million euros was to be paid for each of the victims. He suggested setting up a juridical commission for settling claims for damages from the defendants. Thus, there will be no need to turn to court unless the party sued refuses to honor some particular claim, he said.

Last July, the Tu-154 jet, owned by the Bashkir Airlines carrier, collided in midair with a cargo Boeing over Germany's Boden Lake. All the 69 passengers on board the Tu-154 were killed in the crash, most of them children. The accident is believed to have been caused by neglect on the part of flight controllers.