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posted on Apr, 16 2017 @ 04:50 PM
On the 4th of October 1992 a Boeing 747 freighter of the Israeli airline El-Al, crashed into a couple of flats located in the Bijlmer, Amsterdam, the
Netherlands. Among the deceased were the 3 crewmembers, the only passenger and 39 residents.
What at first looked like an ordinary terrible accident became much more mysterious when Dutch newspaper 'Trouw' reported 20 men in white
protection suits were spotted at the crash site the following morning. Some witnesses have stated these men spoke a foreign language, conducted a
series of tests and took several fragments (ranging from tiny parts to big pieces covered with a sheet) with them before leaving and never being heard
of again.
Shortly after the disaster the GG&GD in cooperation with the RIAGG started giving aftercare to the affected residents and caregivers to prevent
psychological issues.However, after about a year, more and more people started reporting physical issues. Among those most reported were,
sleeplessness, cronic respiratory tract infections, pains, impotence and gastrointestinal complaints.
Supposedly there was no direct relation to health issues and the plane's cargo, according to minister Jorritsma of 'Verkeer & Waterstaat'. Minister
Borst of 'Volksgezondheid' stated there were ''no extremely toxic, highly dangerous or radioactive substances'' on board of the plane.
The official cargo of the plane mostly consisted of fruits, perfume and parts. However, in September 1993, reports appeared in the media that the
plane was carrying dangerous substances. A portion of the parts were military in nature and apparently a third of the cargo wasn't checked at all.
An overview of the cargo was send to parliament by minister Jorritsma, but this list appeared to be different from the one a lawyer received from
El-Al. There were also unreadable freight lists, double freight lists and double freight bookkeeping. In September 1996, El-Al got sued for forgery by
mr. Plettenberg who was Operations Officer at El-Al during the Bijlmer disaster. Aviation police concluded in 1997 that El-Al didn't do anything
illegal though.
In the meantime, the Rijksrecherche did an investigation into the men in white suits. Stories of secret extra flights to Israel emerged in the media
aswell. Speculations that the El-Al Boeing carried a secret military load that got secured by Mossad agents after the crash kept increasing.
The Rijksrecherche concluded that the men in white protection suits were Healthcareworkers from the GG&GD, but that Israelis were also present at the
site after the crash. They got the instruction to continue the investigation, but even after several follow ups there was still no clear picture. The
commision of the parliamentary survey eventually concluded that most of the eye witness statements could be traced back to healthcare workers in light
clothing. It couldn't explain all observations though. It also concluded it was likely evidence dissapeared.
In May 1998, the first medical investigation into the results of the crash was conducted by the AMC hospital. It published the results in January of
1999, in which it found 16 cases of auto-immune diseases which could possibly be linked to the disaster. Beside the AMC investigation, the
Rijksinstituut voor Volksgezondheid en Milieu (RIVM) also conducted one. It concluded that even though dangerous substances got released during the
fire, the health risks were actually small. It estimated the risks at 1 or 2 extra cases of cancer per 10.000 exposed people. The chance of poisoning
by uranium was considered minimal.
Then in 1998 the commission-Hoekstra was created to get a clearer picture of the inconsistency in the several investigations. It concluded that it
couldn't be confirmed what 20 tons of freight consisted of. Interestingly, the NRC Handelsblad reported that the plane was carrying 190liters of
DMMP. This cargo was destined for Israel's main state-owned research for the working of poison gases. DMMP is the most important element for the
nerve gas Sarin.
On the freight lists the Dutch authorities received this part of the freight was labeled as ''flamable liquid''. According to combat gas experts,
190 liters for a research institute was an unusually large order.
The mystery about the cargo had led to diplomatic tensions between the Netherlands and Israel. On ministerial level was spoken and information was
transferred. The last questions about the cargo were answered by Israel and El-Al to the parliamentary committee. The committee concluded that the
unknown load of 20 tons consisted mainly of computer components and not of hazardous substances.
Case closed.