Tribute to the colleagues killed in the Yakolev 42 accident

Twelve years have passed since that fateful day of 26 May 2003 when the Yak-42 which transported 62 Spanish soldiers returning from a mission in Afghanistan crashed in Turkish territory. They have been remembered on 26 May in a ceremony to mark the anniversary of the accident at the “Cid Campeador” base in Castrillo del Val (Burgos), where there is a monument in memory of the dead.

The ceremony was attended by relatives of the victims and presided over by the chief of the 1st Engineers Regiment, Colonel José R. Acero. A Sappers Company stood in formation.

The Yak-42 accident, in the early morning of 26 May near the Turkish airport of Trebisonda, is the worst in the history of the Spanish Armed Forces. As well as the Spanish soldiers, it also claimed the lives of the members of the crew, mostly Ukrainian nationals.

Tribute before the monument at the base (Photo: FUP)