A delegation of Canadian military veterans, RCMP officers and first responders are commemorating the 25th anniversary of Operation Persistence, Canada's military response to the Swissair Flight 111 crash. Visitors look out to the ocean from the Swissair Flight 111 memorial at Whalesback near Peggy's Cove, N.S. on Thursday, Aug. 30, 2018. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Andrew Vaughan
INDIAN HARBOUR, N.S. – A delegation of Canadian military veterans, RCMP officers and first responders have gathered in Nova Scotia today to commemorate the 25th anniversary of Canada’s military response to the deadly crash of Swissair Flight 111.
Veterans Affairs Minister Ginette Petitpas Taylor told participants she wants to thank soldiers, police, firefighters and community members who rushed to help after the crash.
The MD-11 passenger jet plunged into the waters near Peggy’s Cove, N.S., on Sept. 2, 1998, during a flight from New York to Geneva, Switzerland, killing all 229 people on board.
Steven Harris, assistant deputy minister of Veteran’s Affairs, told the commemorative ceremony at the Peggy’s Cove Swissair Memorial in Indian Harbour, N.S., that the lives of those who sought to help, comfort and understand the tragedy were changed forever.
Family members of some of the crash victims are also participating in the ceremony.
Petitpas Taylor led a candlelight tribute to victims of the disaster at another Memorial site on Saturday night.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 3, 2023.
