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Read the press release here.

City Commemorates Flight 587 Crash 10th Anniversary

By Tom Liddy | November 12, 2011 3:05pm
The Flight 587 Memorial in Belle Harbor, Queens on the 10th Anniversary of the crash on Nov. 12, 2011.
The Flight 587 Memorial in Belle Harbor, Queens on the 10th Anniversary of the crash on Nov. 12, 2011.
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Flickr/Edward Reed

MANHATTAN — When American Airlines Flight 587 crashed in the Rockaways ten years ago, all 260 passengers and crew members on the Dominican Republic-bound flight died.

The crash, the second deadliest on U.S. soil, deeply impacted communities around the city, including Washington Heights, with its large Dominican population.

To commemorate the tragedy, which also killed five people on the ground in the community of Belle Harbor, Queens, ceremonies were planned at the Malcolm X & Betty Shabazz Center at 1 p.m. and Flight 587 Memorial Park on 177th Street and Cabrini Boulevard at 4:30 p.m.

"The events commemorating the 10th Anniversary of the plane crash, saddens and causes much grief, as we remember the pain such tragedy brought to hundreds of Dominican families and homes," said Maximo Corcino, Consul General of the Dominican Republic, in a statement.

"Being a caring and sensible community we call upon the members of this community to join those families that haven't yet recovered from the pain and sorrow for the loss of their loved ones."

Earlier in the day, a ceremony was held at the Flight 587 Memorial in Queens during which the names of those who died was read aloud.

"Ten years have gone by, but as you know all too well, every day in the wake of tragedy is a day of remembrance," said Mayor Michael Bloomberg, according to the Associated Press.

The Nov. 12, 2001 crash came just weeks after 9/11, striking a Queens community packed with firefighters and police officers that was still reeling from the terror attacks.