Evening star., 1938-08-25
CHINESE A|RL|NER
DEATHSPUTAT1 Z
Searchers Securing Area
of Japanese Attack for
Survivors.
~ the Associated Press.

~ bue ASSOCldbeQ f>TeSS.
HONG KONG. Aug 25.-Airline Of
flcials said tonight they believed at
least IL persons died inside the Chi
nese-American airliner which was
forced down and machine-gunned by
Japanese warplanes yesterday between
Canton and Macao.
A spokesman for the China National
Aviation Corp, the owners, said the
lines reports indicated the plane rid
died by machine-gun bullets, was en-
tirely submerged in the small river on
which the American pilot H. l.. Woods
OF Winfield, Kans., set it down.
Three Accounted For.
Only three survivors who reached
Macao were definitely accounted for
tonight-Mr. Woods. the radio opera
tor. Loe Lob, and passenger, c. N.
Lou-although earlier reports said two
wounded Chinese passengers were in
hospital at Shekki. north of Macao
Passenger Lou also was wounded.
Mr. Woods, who reached Macao
aboard sampan and was then
brought to Hong Kong aboard the
United States gunboat Mindanao, said
he believed all the missing were killed
or wounded in the machine-gunuine
OF the plane. Moreover, he reported
he heard bomb explosions while lying
IN semi-conScious condition on the
river bank. Trying to swim ashore
he was caught in the current and
reached the bank exhausted
An airline official said it was be-
lieved there were only II persons
aboard the plane, which left Hong
Kong yesterday for Chungking, one
Of China's temporary capitals. Earlier
accounts said there were 10. A re-
vised list showed Is passengers. in
cluding three women and two children
and a crew of four. All but Mr.
Woods were Chinese. The co-pilot and
steward were among the missing.
Countryside Secured.
Search parties spread through the
countryside around the scene of the
attack in search for survivors. In
addition to the Mindanao, which sped
from Hong Kong to Macao to help sur
vivors, the rescue forces included a
British gunboat and Chinese troops.
Mr.. Woods reached Hong Kong to-
day. verifying previous reports that
japanese planes attacked the trans
port in the air with machine guns.
No one was injured in that attack. he
thought, but the planes almost i'm
mediately attacked with machine-gun
fire after the plane landed in the
river. We we're about so yards from
shore. tried to swim to shore to get
9 sampan to take off passengers and
crew, but underestimate the current
and was swept down river. When I
did get TO shore 1 was so exhausted
I couldn't move for an hour"
Machine Gunned in Water.
Passenger Lou, in a Macao hospital
With q bullet wound in the neck, said
Il fear I am one Of the few survivors
among the passengers, because the
japanese planes (flve in all, survivors
related after Notwithstanding us
while in the air. continued to do SO
while We were attempting to go ashore
The japanese pilots seemed de-
termined to kill everybody. Our pilot
had the choice of landing on a rice
paddy or the river and chose the lat
ter. BY that time passengers were
in a state of complete terror.
Before we could really get clear Of
the plane, the Japanese returned not
once but again and again, machine
cunning us without mercy.
1T was scene Of utter confusion
with bullets spattering in the water
around U.S."