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Thursday is 25th anniversary of Flight 255 crash; vigil held at crash site

Memorial Vigil to be held Thursday night in Romulus.

1987: Northwest Airlines Flight 255, a McDonnell Douglas MD-82, crashes after takeoff in Romulus, Michigan, near Detroit, killing 154 of the 155 on board, plus two people on the ground. At the time, Flight 255 was the second deadliest aviation disaster in U.S. history. Pictured is a monument near the crash site.

ROMULUS – Family, friends, and loved ones gathered Thursday night to remember those lost 25 years ago in the Northwest Airlines Flight 255 crash. 

The Memorial vigil began at 8:46 p.m., the time the crash occurred, at the Memorial Site, located at Middlebelt Road and Interstate 94 in Romulus. Gatherers arrived around 7:30 p.m.

Watch: Uncut: 25th anniversary vigil for Flight 255

A priest read names of the victims which appear on the stone monument at the crash site.

The plane took off from Detroit Metro Airport en route to Phoenix on Aug. 17, 1987, but moments later, it crashed into Middlebelt Road. All but one of the 155 people onboard plus two people on the ground were killed. Only a 4-year-old girl, Cecelia Cichan, survived.

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Interview: Firefighter talks about rescue, relationship with Cecelia Cichan

Archive video: Witnesses describe seeing plane go down

Archive video: Support pours in for Cecelia's recovery

Raw video: Flight 255's flight recorder

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-Hidi Ja Ratliff died in the crash

WATCH INTERVIEW: Victim's mother speaks out

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