one body and possibly some seats", and the horizontal stabilizer also showed signs of being damaged by debris in the air. Many bodies were not recovered, possibly because they had been ejected very early in this sequence. Without being able to better examine the wreckage, and lacking valid flight data from the final moments of the flight, it is not known what exactly happened after 0559 GMT. What is apparent is that some sort of explosive device, likely located within the passenger cabin near the right wingbox, detonated at that time, causing unknown but catastrophic damage to the aircraft, including but not limited to the damage found on the horizontal and vertical stabilizer. The aircraft likely descended rapidly in an "erratic" manner. At an undetermined point in this descent, the horizontal stabilizer separated from the airplane entirely, and eventually the fuselage broke into the three sections initially found by searchers. Aftermath Following a UK Civil Aviation Authority and Hong Kong police investigation, as well as six years of reporting by a Bangkok Post journalist, "a police officer whose fiancée and daughter were aboard was charged with the crime". Somchai Chaiyasut, who had taken out three travel insurance policies on his fiancée and daughter, was declared not guilty due to lack of evidence. He sued the insurance companies and received 5.5 million baht ($US ). He died of cancer in 1985. It was reported that "airline staff and relatives [had considered] hiring a hitman to kill him". References External links Crash site of Flight 700Z from Associated Press Archive Airliner bombings Aviation accidents and incidents in 1972 Aviation accidents and incidents in Vietnam Cathay Pacific accidents and incidents Accidents and incidents involving the Convair 880 1972 crimes in Vietnam Mass murder in 1972 June 1972 events in Asia 1970s murders in Vietnam 1972 murders in Asia Explosions in 1972