PALMA
MARRATXI Council yesterday declared two days of mourning for a Portol resident who died in the crash while the Balearic government and other civil bodies held five minutes' silence in memory of all those who died including the pilot and copilot who lived in Palma. The copilot was Majorcan.
Jose Fernandez Vaquez was one of the 172 passengers on board the flight. The 38-year-old captain, Antonio Garcia Luna, was orginally born in Madrid and the father of two moved to Palma 14-years-ago.
His co-pilot, 32-year-old Francisco Javier Mulet, was born in Palma and the family was well known in the capital. His family are the owners of one of Palma's oldest shops, La Pajerita, and his parents were on the first flight to Madrid within hours of the tragedy.
According to accident reports yesterday, both the pilot and copilot suffered broken arms and investigators suspect that this suggests they fought desperately to lift the nose of the plane and keep it in the air.
The Balearic President, Francesc Antich, yesterday paid tribute to all those who were killed in the air accident and pledged maximum help and support to the families of the victims on the island and elsewhere if it is needed.
His sentiments were echoed by the central government delegate to the Balearics, Ramon Socias, who confirmed the identity of the cockpit crew, and other local political leaders and politicians.