The task of recovering the bodies of a pilot and nine skydivers killed when their plane crashed in a wooded area near Boise, Idaho, was completed Tuesday.

Authorities said all 10 victims died on impact in the Sunday accident, the Seattle Post-Intelligencer reported.

The victims were identified as: Ralph Abdo, 27, Issaquah; Landon Atkin, 20, Snohomish; Michelle Barker, 22, Kirkland; Casey Craig, 30, Bothell; Cecil Elsner, 20, Lake Stevens; Bryan Jones, 34, Redmond; Phil Kibler, 46, Seattle (pilot); Hollie Rasberry, 24, Bellingham; Jeff Ross, 28, Snohomish; and Andrew Smith, 20, Lake Stevens.

"The only word I can think of is 'devastation,' every cell in your body hurts," said Elaine Harvey, who managers Skydive Snohomish with her husband, which was considered the "drop zone" or home base for the skydivers on the plane.

The single-engine Cessna 208 Caravan, based out of Snohomish, Wash., took off Sunday. The wreckage was discovered about 7:40 p.m. in a heavily wooded area east of White Pass in the Cascades mountain range, the newspaper said.

A hunter reported hearing a crash Sunday evening near Rimrock Lake. A search team followed the odor of fuel to the crash site, state emergency management officials said.  // Copyright 2007 by United Press International



Publication date: 10 October 2007   

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