Today a Day of National Mourning in Ukraine
ANDERSON COOPER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Today is a day of national mourning in Ukraine after a military jet at an air show crashed over the weekend, killing at least 83 people. Jill Dougherty has the details on that, as well as the investigation.</s>JILL DOUGHERTY, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): At hospitals in the western Ukraine's city of Lviv, desperate relatives search for loved ones who might have survived the crash, checking lists of names, hoping against hope. More than 100 are critically injured, some of them children, burned and slashed by flaming debris. The fighter jet, performing acrobatic maneuvers Saturday, suddenly lost control and plowed through spectators on the ground, exploding in a fireball. Many of those who died were cut to pieces and medical crews are having difficulty identifying the bodies. Rescue workers helped this woman find the remains of her granddaughter. I recognized her by her trousers and shoes, she says. I told them, this is my little Andrianitzca (ph). She was only four years old. The planes' two pilots were able to eject before it crashed. They survived. Military prosecutors opened a criminal case on the incident. Investigators say air force negligence or plane failure are the most likely causes of the disaster. Ukraine President Leonid Kuchma says the guilty must be brought to justice. Hours after the crash, he fired air force chief Vladimir Stralnikov (ph).</s>UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We have to investigate and find the cause of the accident and the truth behind it. So many people died. There is no room for unsubstantiated words.</s>DOUGHERTY: Western aviation experts say other factors may have contributed to the crash. Rules for air shows in Europe are stricter than in Ukraine. Ukrainian pilots, they say, do not get enough practice flying and equipment in the cash-strapped Ukrainian military is often in bad shape. At churches throughout Lviv, people prayed for the dead and injured. Monday has been declared a national day of mourning. Jill Dougherty, CNN, Moscow.