Air crash autopsies incomplete

Police say they have taken statements from about 90% of those who witnessed the Fox Glacier air tragedy that killed nine people on Saturday.
Some wreckage of the Skydiving New Zealand plane, which crashed then exploded moments after takeoff near the end of the Fox Glacier airstrip, was airlifted to Christchurch yesterday for detailed analysis.
The bodies of the victims — five seasonal locals and four overseas tourists who had been travelling south on a Kiwi Experience bus — are still in Auckland, where post-mortems were continuing today.
Detective sergeant Jackie Adams, of Greymouth police CIB, said dental and fingerprint records would be needed to formally identify the victims. Some medical and dental records had arrived from overseas.
Mr Adams said liaison was ongoing with the victims’ families and overseas embassies to organise getting the bodies home.
The 20 witnesses — including two of the victims’ girlfriends, who were booked to go on the next flight — have been interviewed. The young women were traumatised and flew home yesterday, cutting short their New Zealand holiday.