Five of the Americans on board crashed light plane were ex-marines

Five of the eight Americans on board the light plane which ditched in the sea off Majorca last week, were ex-marines “but not part of any special force,” government sources revealed yesterday. Two others were also retired members of the United States navy. Central government delegate in Valencia, where debris from the crash is being taken, Carmen Mas, said yesterday that all the former US military members were flying to Algeria for “private or professional” reasons not military. The official search for wreckage, which was co-ordinated by the Palma air sea rescue service, was called off over the weekend but local fishermen in the area of the crash, between Majorca and Valencia, have been asked to keep an eye out for debris. One trawler yesterday returned to port with debris, believed to be that of the light plane, caught in its nets.