Ceremony marks 50th anniversary of Spanish air crash that claimed lives of victims from Burnley, Padiham and Pendle

A poignant moment as the Mayor of Padiham Coun. Howard Hudson pays his respects at the memorial for the victims of the Spanish air disaster on the 50th anniversary of the tragedy.

Relatives of many of the people who lost their lives on that tragic day, July 3rd, 1970, gathered at Padiham's Memorial Park for the service led by the Vicar of St Leonard's Church, the Rev Mark Jones.

The ceremony was low key due to Covid 19 social distancing rules but plans are being made to hold a more formal service when lockdown restrictions are eased more.

Rev Jones, who was joined by the Mayor of Padiham Coun. Howard Hudson, led the service , held at a permanent memorial dedicated to the victims,with a Bible reading and prayers.

He also read out the names of all the people who died on Barcelona bound Dan Air flight 103 that crashed into a wooded area on the slopes of Les Agudes, two hours after it took off from Manchester Airport.

The terrible tragedy cast a dark shadow over East Lancashire as entire families perished in the crash. For many of them it was their first holiday abroad or the first time on a plane.

The Comet aircraft had been chartered by Clarkson’s Holidays with passengers coming from all over Lancashire including Bury, Leigh, Wigan and Manchester.

In accordance with Spanish law all the victims had to be buried within 48 hours so all the passengers and crew were laid to rest together in a mass grave.

Although it was heartbreaking for the families in England, a memorial to all 112 victims was built at the site and is kept in pristine condition to this day. A memorial to mirror those held in England also took place there last week.