8year old child survives Libya plane crash, over 100 killed

[lauhumku]

Dutch child survives Libya plane crash, over 100 killed: airport official
Posted: 12 May 2010 1529 hrs
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TRIPOLI: An eight-year-old Dutch boy was the sole survivor of an Afriqiyah plane crash at Tripoli airport on Wednesday at Tripoli airport which the airline said killed more than 100 people, an airport official said. The Libyan plane was arriving from South Africa crashed on Wednesday at Tripoli airport killing almost all 105 people on board, a security official told AFP.

Among the dead were 93 passengers and 11 crew members, the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity. There was no immediate indication of the cause of the crash, which occurred as the Afriqiyah Airways plane was landing after a flight from Johannesburg at around 6:00 am (04H00 GMT).

"All 93 passengers and 11 crew members who were on board were killed," the official said. Afriqiyah Airways said on its website that it operates an Airbus fleet. It started operations with five leased planes and signed a contract with Airbus at an exhibition in Paris in 2007 for the purchase of 11 new planes, the website said.

It was founded in April 2001 and at first fully owned by the Libyan state. The company's capital was later divided into shares to be managed by the Libya-Africa Investment Portfolio. On April 21, the airline announced that flights were back to normal after disruptions due to the volcanic ash cloud from Iceland that grounded flights in Europe last month.

- AFP/jy

 

[zuoom]

lucky boy. what were the odds.

 

[lauhumku]

103 dead, 1 survivor


May 12, 2010

LIBYAN AIR CRASH
103 dead, 1 survivor

<!-- by line --> <!-- end by line --> Boy survives plane crash

TRIPOLI- AN eight-year-old Dutch boy is reportedly the sole survivor of the Libyan plane crash that killed more than 100, officials said. A Libyan security official had said earlier than all those on board the flight had died, but an airport official said the boy had miraculously survived and was rushed to hospital near Tripoli. The boy is in good condition in hospital, a minister said.

Meanwhile, Libya's Transport Minister Mohammed Ali Zidan ruled out terrorism as the cause of the plane crash. 'We have definitely ruled out the theory that the crash was the result of an act of terrorism,' he told a press conference. -- AFP

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There was no immediate indication of the cause of the crash, which occurred as the Afriqiyah Airways plane was landing after a flight from Johannesburg at around 6am (0400 GMT, noon Singapore time). -- PHOTO: AFP

<!-- story content : start --> CAIRO - A LIBYAN Afriqiyah Airways plane with 104 people on board crashed on landing on Wednesday at the airport in the capital Tripoli and the head of European Parliament said about 100 people died while an 8-year-old child survived. Libyan state television showed a large field scattered with small and large pieces of plane debris and dozens of police and rescue workers with surgical masks and gloves, some of them carrying at least one body away. They were gathering small personal items such as wallets and cell phones from the wreckage.

Others sifted through the debris - some of it still smoldering - including a flight recorder and green seats with television screens on them. A large piece of the plane's tail bearing the Afriqiyah brightly colored logo was visible, and other parts of the plane were in shreds. A crane lifted a burnt, smashed car off the field. The Airbus A330-200 arriving from Johannesburg, South Africa was coming in to land when it crashed at around 6am (0400 GMT, noon S'pore time) There was no immediate word on survivors or the cause, according to a statement by the airlines posted on its website.

'Afriqiyah Airways announces that our flight 771 had an accident during landing at Tripoli International airport,' the statement said. 'At this moment, we have no information concerning possible casualties or survivors. Our information is that there were 93 passenger and 11 crew aboard. Authorities are conducting the search and rescue mission.' The head of the European Parliament Jerzy Buzek said he had been informed that about 100 people on board died while an 8-year-old child survived, saying that was 'truly a miracle.' According to initial reports, the plane crashed as it neared the threshold of Tripoli International's main east-west runway, while preparing to touch down from the east.

Weather conditions over Tripoli's international airport were good on Wednesday, with 4.8-kilometre visibility, scattered clouds at 10,000 feet and winds of only three miles per hour. In Johannesburg, Afriqiyah's office said it was still trying to provide a breakdown of the nationality of passengers. It said the flight 771 left Johannesburg at 1am on Wednesday (2300 GMT Tuesday, 7am Wed S'pore time). In London, a Foreign Office spokesman said he was aware of unconfirmed reports that there were British Nationals on board the flight. -- AP

 

[lauhumku]

-- PHOTO: AFP

-- PHOTO: AFP

-- PHOTO: AFP