VOA常速英语2007-DRC Red Cross Ends Hunt for Crash Victims

By Selah Hennessy
Dakar
06 October 2007

The Red Cross in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has stopped looking for bodies in the wreckage¹ of Thursday's deadly plane crash. The plane smashed into a densely² populated residential³ area outside Kinshasa, killing⁴ around 30 people on the ground and more than 20 passengers on board. Selah Hennessy reports from the VOA West and Central Africa bureau in Dakar.

The plane crashed only minutes after takeoff from Congo's International airport in Kinshasa, exploding in flames and destroying over a dozen homes.

The death toll⁵ has risen daily as emergency teams worked their way through the wreckage, dragging bodies from the plane and from the rubble⁶ of crushed homes.

"There were officially 52 died and more than 100 wounded," says Kinshasa-based Paul Mpoyi, who works for the Red Cross.

He adds that 29 people have been hospitalized. He says the Red Cross does not believe more bodies will be found.

"Yesterday they stopped the operation, and today it was just the assistance to the persons who were evacuated⁷ to the hospitals," he explained.

He says the Red Cross is giving psychological support and food to survivors⁸. 

"We have given food assistance to the people who were wounded," he added.  "It consists of rice, sugar, and beans."

The plane, a Soviet-era Antonov-26, suffered engine failure on takeoff, according to a U.N. spokesman, and was trying to return to the airport when it crashed.

Transport Minister Remy Kuseyo was fired on Friday, for what a government spokesman said was incompentence.

Congo's government barred the Antonovs from flying in September, but the decision was revoked⁹ following pressure from inside and outside the government.  Lawmakers Saturday called for an inquiry¹⁰ and punishment for those found responsible for the latest crash.

In August, 14 people were killed when an overloaded¹¹ Antonov crashed in eastern DRC.

1 wreckage   

n.（失事飞机等的）残骸，破坏，毁坏

参考例句：

• They hauled him clear of the wreckage.他们把他从形骸中拖出来。
• New states were born out of the wreckage of old colonial empires.新生国家从老殖民帝国的废墟中诞生。

2 densely   

ad.密集地；浓厚地

参考例句：

• A grove of trees shadowed the house densely. 树丛把这幢房子遮蔽得很密实。
• We passed through miles of densely wooded country. 我们穿过好几英里茂密的林地。

3 residential   

adj.提供住宿的；居住的；住宅的

参考例句：

• The mayor inspected the residential section of the city.市长视察了该市的住宅区。
• The residential blocks were integrated with the rest of the college.住宿区与学院其他部分结合在了一起。

4 killing   

n.巨额利润；突然赚大钱，发大财

参考例句：

• Investors are set to make a killing from the sell-off.投资者准备清仓以便大赚一笔。
• Last week my brother made a killing on Wall Street.上个周我兄弟在华尔街赚了一大笔。

5 toll   

n.过路(桥)费；损失，伤亡人数；v.敲(钟)

参考例句：

• The hailstone took a heavy toll of the crops in our village last night.昨晚那场冰雹损坏了我们村的庄稼。
• The war took a heavy toll of human life.这次战争夺去了许多人的生命。

6 rubble   

n.（一堆）碎石，瓦砾

参考例句：

• After the earthquake,it took months to clean up the rubble.地震后，花了数月才清理完瓦砾。
• After the war many cities were full of rubble.战后许多城市到处可见颓垣残壁。

7 evacuated   

撤退者的

参考例句：

• Police evacuated nearby buildings. 警方已将附近大楼的居民疏散。
• The fireman evacuated the guests from the burning hotel. 消防队员把客人们从燃烧着的旅馆中撤出来。

8 survivors   

幸存者，残存者，生还者( survivor的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The survivors were adrift in a lifeboat for six days. 幸存者在救生艇上漂流了六天。
• survivors clinging to a raft 紧紧抓住救生筏的幸存者

9 revoked   

adj.[法]取消的v.撤销，取消，废除( revoke的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• It may be revoked if the check is later dishonoured. 以后如支票被拒绝支付，结算可以撤销。 来自辞典例句
• A will is revoked expressly. 遗嘱可以通过明示推翻。 来自辞典例句

10 inquiry   

n.打听，询问，调查，查问

参考例句：

• Many parents have been pressing for an inquiry into the problem.许多家长迫切要求调查这个问题。
• The field of inquiry has narrowed down to five persons.调查的范围已经缩小到只剩5个人了。

11 overloaded   

a.超载的，超负荷的

参考例句：

• He's overloaded with responsibilities. 他担负的责任过多。
• She has overloaded her schedule with work, study, and family responsibilities. 她的日程表上排满了工作、学习、家务等，使自己负担过重。