Brazil government under pressure after deadly air crash

SAO PAULO (AFP) - The Brazilian government faced rising pressure over the safety of its aviation industry Sunday amid public outcry over the country's deadliest air disaster that killed around 200 people.

Just a day after President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva insisted the country's airways met international safety standards, a power failure in air traffic control forced five US-bound flights to turn back temporarily Saturday, highlighting the frequent problems experienced by Brazil's aviation industry.

The flights had to return to Sao Paulo's Guarulhos International Airport while the northern Amazon region's Manaus center went down for several hours, according to aviation officials.

Meanwhile, recovery teams -- including around 60 firefighters and a squadron of sniffer dogs -- continued to work at the site of the wreckage where the black box containing the pilot voice recorder was found.

The cockpit voice recorder was expected to help the investigation, after an earlier find that was believed to be the two voice recorders turned out to be one flight recorder and one heavily damaged regular tape recorder.

Grieving family members of the 187 people who died aboard the TAM Airlines flight on Tuesday continued to demand justice as critics pointed to a possible technical fault in the aircraft as well as an unsafe runway at Sao Paulo's Congonhas airport.