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SIA ACCEPTS FINDINGS THAT SQ006 WAS ON THE WRONG RUNWAY

SIA has accepted the preliminary findings of Taiwan's Aviation Safety Council that SQ006 was on the wrong runway when it crashed.

SIA Deputy Chairman and CEO Cheong Choong Kong, speaking at a news conference , also expressed the company's deep concern and apologies over the tragedy.

He said SIA sent its own team to Taipei to cooperate with the Taiwanese asuthorities and that the priority is to help meet the immediate needs of the passengers, crew and their families.

'Unbelievable' an experienced pilot entered wrong runway: poll

Taiwan's chief investigator into the SQ006 tragedy has confirmed that the SIA plane was on the wrong runway when it crashed on Tuesday night.

Channel NewsAsia talks to members of the public on how they feel about the finding.

It was the talk of the town.

Many found it unbelievable that an experienced pilot with a good flying record could enter a wrong runway.

Candy Torres said: "It's hard to believe he took the wrong runway. We don't know what really happened inside the cockpit but I don't believe the pilot doesn't know what he's doing!"

David Loh said: "I think the control tower should be able to see and know what had gone wrong, so get more information from them."

Priytosh said:"If you're going to take off on that runway, people will be talking about it on radio, the ground crew, so it's contradicting."

Farah How said: "Upon taking off, everything should be made clear by the Taiwan ground crew and the pilot himself should know which is the runway. Coming from a good background and lots of hours of flying experience, this kind of mistake should be avoided."

Trudy Koh said: "It's still too early to say it's totally the pilot's fault. We should see what really happened. Perhaps the lights on the wrong runway were on and the pilot mistook the lights as the right runway and went into it under the bad weather condition?"

Elsia Toh: "Maybe the wind was too strong that forced the plane to veer off. If you say he made a mistake - tell him to turn right and he turned left, I find it hard to believe. I don't think we should come to a conclusion so fast until the actual investigation is over."

Robert Givens said: "I work with an airport in England. The papers said the lights weren't switched off. The bad weather could cause the plane to go the wrong way. They should look at who really controls where the plane is going."

SIA crash: Families make funeral arrangements for the dead

Four days after the crash of SQ006, families of the victims spent the day in Taipei making final arrangements for the bodies of their loved ones.

So far more than 20 bodies have been collected and more are expected.

DNA tests to verify the victims' identities are also underway.

Sobbing relatives started to stream to the morgue at Taoyuan early Friday morning.

The Komera family from the US who lost their daughter, son-in-law and two grandchildren, went to see the crash site in the morning but are still having trouble coming to terms with their loss.

For those who still can't find their relatives, description of personal belongings and photographs may help them make that connection.

To be sure, DNA tests are also conducted to help identify bodies.

Once these tests verify the victims' identity, families can claim their bodies and decide whether to bring them home immediately or have a funeral in Taipei.

In the meantime, makeshift tents have been set up by different religious organisations outside the morgue to provide memorial services for the deceased.

On Friday, Khoo Swee Chiow was in Taipei, a gleaming golden badge with the word "Buddy" printed on his shirt.

The call came at 4 am on Wednesday, and within 90 minutes, he was on a plane bound for Taiwan- in midst of the worst accident involving a Singapore Airlines aircraft SQ006.

They do practical things. such as check in baggages, act as translators or go-betweens.

They also act as emotional supports, lending a listening ears or a comforting shoulder to cry on.

Their roles are quite tedious and important as they need to handle both relatives and injured.

In fact, some Buddies are stationed at all seven hospitals.

One Buddy, arm around Abdul Rasak, father of injured SIA stewardess Farzana, was at the hospital helping him ask doctors and officials questions about her daughter's condition.

Sounds simple enough, but it's certainly easier said than done, especially since the volunteers are not professionally trained grief counsellors.