Brazil steps up search for air crash victims

RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil, Oct 8 (Reuters) The Brazilian government today sent an extra 80 troops to join a search in the Amazon rainforest for victims of Brazil's worst airplane disaster which killed 154 people.

They reinforce 37 soldiers who have been combing the remote forest area in northern Brazil where a Boeing 737-800 of low-cost airline Gol crashed on September 29.

By last night, soldiers had recovered 117 bodies, the Brazilian Air Force said in a statement.

Relatives of the victims have complained that the corpses may soon become too decomposed to be identified and that body parts could be devoured by wild animals.

Brazil's air traffic control has said that the accident occurred after an executive jet piloted by two US citizens crossed paths with the passenger plane. The jet, which lost a winglet, made a safe emergency landing.

Yesterday, a Brazilian court ordered that the new ExcelAire Embraer Legacy business jet be retained in Brazil while an investigation into the crash continues.

Police last week confiscated the passports of the US pilot and co-pilot.

Preliminary results of the crash probe are expected in coming days.

Any pilot or controller found guilty in the crash could be jailed for up to five years, state security officials said.

Brazil's chief air traffic controller, Brig Lt Roberto Vilarhino, said on Thursday that the jet was flying at the wrong altitude when it crossed paths with the Gol plane.

But he said that he could not yet blame anyone for the crash and did not rule out equipment failure.

Vilarhino said that the Legacy's transponder, which gives details about an aircraft's location, was apparently not working. Some Brazilian officials have suggested that the pilots may have turned off the instrument.

REUTERS DKS RAI0128