Germany has day of mourning for victims of Concorde

The flag on the Reichstag in Berlin hung at half-mast yesterday, marking Germany's official day of mourning for the 113 people, 96 of them German, who died in Tuesday's Concorde crash in Paris.

"The Names, The Fates" was the headline of Germany's Bild newspaper yesterday morning. Two days after the Concorde crashed in a fireball killing all on board, the newspaper printed an unofficial passenger list. But it is only now that the names of the 96 German victims have started to be officially released. The stories are as varied as they are heart-breaking.

Not all on board the aircraft, dubbed the "Titanic of the Air" by the German press, were wealthy. Just as on the doomed liner in 1912, many of the passengers on board the charter Concorde were of modest means and many had saved for years for this dream holiday.

But unlike the situation aboard the Titanic, all these passengers perished together regardless of social standing.

Ms Barbara Marx (64), a retired bank employee from Berlin, had reserved a special table for yesterday on board the MS Deutschland to celebrate her husband Martin's 70th birthday. He was looking forward to a glass of champagne and a spoon of caviar. She had always dreamed of flying on Concorde. But yesterday, the cabin and the table they had reserved were both empty.

"The two of them were like turtle-doves, going down the street holding hands," said a neighbour of the couple yesterday, laying flowers outside their apartment building.

Mr Andreas Schranner (64) from Munich was obsessed with cruise ships ever since his bit part in the German television show Dream Ship. Finally he had the chance to relive his experience and decided to bring his family with him. Mr Schranner, his wife, daughter, her husband, as well as their two young children all died in the crash. He was a vintage car enthusiast, as was his son-in-law, Mr Christian Eich (57), a manager with BMW in Munich.

Mr Werner Heuer (65) was a former East German motorcross champion. Two years ago he retired from his job as a mechanic in Berlin because he said he "wanted more from life", a former work colleague said. He left Berlin with his partner, Ms Sabine Berndt (51), for what would have been their first cruise.

Mr Claus Weisner understands what the victims' families are going through. His brother-in-law and his brother-in-law's fiancee were among the 189 mostly German victims of the Birgenair crash off the coast of the Dominican Republic in 1996. "When I heard the news four years ago it was like I had been punched in the stomach," he said.

Mr Weisner and other relatives of crash victims set up a support group for themselves after they found the support services in Germany wanting. The group still operates today and Mr Weisner says he has already been contacted by the neighbour of a woman whose parents died in the crash.

The Hungarian photographer whose chance snap of the burning Concorde was flashed around the world spoke yesterday of the circumstances in which it was taken. Mr Andras Kisgergely (20) was on holiday in Paris with a friend. The plane spotter told a German newspaper: "The Eiffel Tower didn't matter to us, we wanted to see the airport."

Mr Kisgergely had been photographing aircraft at Charles de Gaulle airport. "But as soon as I saw the burning Concorde I held up the camera," he said. He sold the picture to Reuters for "only" DM900 (£360).

Yesterday saw another memorial service for victims, organised by Mr Peter Deilmann, whose company organised the holiday. The service, in the Baltic port town of Holstein, was attended by almost 600 people, including almost 200 employees of the travel company.