Unlike the A320's escape slides, which helped dozens of passengers get out, the DC-9s rafts could hold only three or four.

CNN: Previous jet ditchings yielded survival lessons

The source of the fire has still not been pinpointed, but it was widely speculated that a group of oxygen generators in the cargo hold may have caused or contributed to a blaze in the cargo hold of the DC-9.

CNN: ValuJet back in the air at last - Sept. 26, 1996

While no official cause of the crash has been named, sources have told CNN that 150 of the oxygen generators -- improperly packed and stowed in the DC-9's cargo hold -- are believed to have ignited the fire that brought down the plane.

CNN: Main banner

More than his trademark toughness, Mr Holbrooke will need wiles to manage the intrigue in the region, and bureaucratic nous to hold his ground in Washington, DC.

ECONOMIST: American foreign policy