QUEENS, N.Y. - Mourners gathered Thursday morning to remember the victims of American Airlines Flight 587, which crashed in Queens 19 years ago.

Mayor Bill de Blasio took part in the annual memorial ceremony in Belle Harbor.

In his speech, he pointed out that even the pandemic could not stop friends and family from remembering their loved ones.

"The fact that you're still here gives me such hope. The fact that the love you feel for those you lost, and the love for each other, sustains you is a reminder of the strength of the people of the Dominican community. The strength of all New Yorkers," De Blasio said.

Flight 587 was on its way to the Dominican Republic on November 12, 2001, when it went down shortly after take-off from Kennedy Airport.

All 260 people onboard and five people on the ground were killed.

Investigators later determined that the plane's broken tail caused the crash.