Reuters Hourly News Summary
 Cargo Plane Crashes in NJ
     Newark International Airport in New Jersey was closed early
 today because of a plane crash. A Federal Express cargo plane from
 Anchorage, Alaska, crashed and caught fire as it landed at the air-
 port. Officials say all seven people aboard survived. The plane is
 belly-up on a runway, with its landing gear pointed to the sky.
 (More below)
 Delta Employees Busted for Coke
     Twelve members of a drug trafficking ring, most of whom are past
 or current employees of Delta Air Lines, have been indicted on
 charges that they smuggled cocaine through Puerto Rico into the
 United States. The Drug Enforcement Administration says the organi-
 zation shipped hundreds of pounds of Colombian cocaine through San
 Juan's international airport. Nine of those indicted were arrested
 yesterday and three are still being sought. The DEA says the Delta
 employees used their positions in the airline industry to put
 cocaine-filled suitcases and cargo containers on board Delta
 aircraft.
 04:58 07-31-97
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  Airplane trying to land in Florence hits ditch at edge of highway
     FLORENCE, Italy (July 30, 1997 11:09 p.m. EDT) -- A small plane
 overshot the runway at Florence's airport Wednesday, landing in a
 ditch at the edge of a busy highway and injuring 12 people.
     The ATR-42 turboprop carrying 14 passengers from Nice, France,
 folded in the middle and nearly split in two after it hit the ditch,
 said Vespucci airport officials.
     The two pilots and three passengers were hospitalized, while
 nine other passengers were treated for cuts and bruises, officials
 said. Two other passengers were unharmed.
     The accident was being investigated.
 ----------------------------------------
      NEWARK, N.J. (July 31) --- Newark International Airport has re-
 opened, but only for departing flights following the crash of a
 Federal Express cargo plane early today. The wreckage of a Federal
 Express cargo plane continued to smolder on one runway, as two
 others began to handle outgoing flights.
     A spokesman for the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey
 says delays are still expected and passengers should check with
 their carriers until further notice.
     Two crewmembers and three passengers on board the FedEx plane
 climbed through a cockpit window after the plane crashed, flipped
 onto its roof and burst into flames this morning. Witnesses say
 it's a miracle anyone survived.
     No one on the ground was hurt, authorities said.
     The plane hit the runway hard as it descended at 1:35 a.m. and
 flipped over, said Allen Morrison, a spokesman for the Port Author-
 ity of New York and New Jersey, which manages the airport.
     With flames spreading around them, "the five Fed Ex employees
 inside were able to climb out a cockpit window to safety. Officers
 were then there to help them. They all walked away from it," he
 said. "All reports so far indicate the injuries were minor."
     The airport was immediately shut down and no flights were taking
 off or landing as authorities tried to put out the flames on the
 aircraft which was lying on its back, its landing gear pointing
 toward the sky. As dawn broke, the fire continued to flare up and
 smoke could be seen billowing from the wreckage.
     The plane, an MD-11, originated at Anchorage International Air-
 port in Alaska, a FedEx manager there said.
     The National Transportation Safety Board will investigate.
     Arlene Salac, a Federal Aviation Administration spokeswoman,
 said Newark is the busiest of the three New York City-area airports,
 especially during the morning.
     Morrison said passengers scheduled to fly out of the airport
 should contact their airline for instructions.
 07-31-97 0904EDT
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