Stuart, Fla., March 7. - (AP) - A wide stretch of the tide-swept St. Lucie River was being searched by army men today for the bodies of seven military fliers who plunged to their death in a storm-tossed army transport plane.
Soldiers from Morrison Field, West Palm Beach, kept civilians out of the area. A spokesman said there was no question that anyone aboard survived the crash. No bodies have been recovered. The plane ran into a tropical squall early Thursday night. A wing was torn loose, causing a fire and the craft plunged into the river three miles below Stuart.
Army authorities at Dayton, O., said:
Lieut. JOHN A. EVANS, of Auburndale, Mass., was the pilot.
Lieut. HARRY E. HULLOCK, JR., Lexington, Ky., co-pilot.
Sergt. ERCEL STALLARD, Lather, Ky., aviation engineer.
Corp. CLARENCE F. AYERS, Huntington, W. Va., radio operator.
Also aboard were:
Lieutenant CLEMENTS; Lieutenant SIMPSON and Sergeant RUTKO from the Middleton, Pa., air depot, whose first names and addresses were not available here.
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