A 12-man crew delivering a routine air cargo shipment of construction materials from Oslo to Bamako Mali aboard a Volga Dneper AN-124-100 aircraft were ruthlessly attacked as they billeted overnight inside the Bamako Mali Radisson Blu Hotel last Friday. The devastating event has brought a profound sense of loss to the global air cargo community.
    Six of the crew somehow survived the melee and were rescued by Special Forces.
    The other six Volga-Dnepr crewmembers were killed in cold blood during a terrorist attack on the hotel that senselessly snuffed out the lives of 22 innocent people.
    Our heartfelt and deepest condolences and respects go to the families and friends of everyone who did not return. Today we salute our own—the six crewmembers lost last week in Mali.
    (Clockwise from top left) Alexander V. Kononenko, Flight Navigator, born August 14, 1963; Vladimir V. Kudryashov, Radio Operator, born April 18,1975; Konstantin V. Preobrazhenskiy, Flight Engineer, born October 1, 1959; Sergey A. Yurasov, Load Master, born March 14, 1963; Stanislav N. Dumanskiy, Aircraft Mechanic, Airframe and Engines, born September 9,1973; Pavel A. Kudryavtsev, Aircraft Mechanic, Airframe and Engines, born August 25,1988.
    May God rest their souls in everlasting peace.
Geoffrey