103 die in plane crash, boy survives
Source: Agencies |
May 13, 2010, Thursday
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Print Edition
Print Edition
A LIBYAN plane carrying 104 people crashed yesterday on approach to Tripoli's airport killing all people aboard apart from, miraculously, a 10-year-old Dutch boy.
The crash site was scattered with smoldering debris.
The Dutch prime minister said everyone on the Afriqiyah Airways Airbus A330-200 arriving from Johannesburg was killed except the boy.
He was taken to a hospital in Tripoli and was undergoing surgery for injuries, including broken bones.
The Royal Dutch Tourism Board said 61 of the dead came from the Netherlands.
"This is a large group of Dutch nationals after all, so it's a deeply sad message we have this day," said Dutch Prime Minister Jan Peter Balkenende.
Libyan TV showed the dark-haired boy lying in a hospital bed with his head bandaged and an oxygen mask over his face. He had intravenous lines in one arm and appeared to be conscious as a nurse and a doctor attended to him.
Dozens of police and rescue workers with surgical masks and gloves carried away bodies. They gathered small personal items such as wallets and cell phones from the wreckage.
Others sifted through 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 was visible, bearing Afriqiyah's bright logo with the numbers "9.9.99," a reference to the date of the founding of the African Union.
The plane was carrying 93 passengers and 11 crew.
"Afriqiyah Airways announces that our flight 771 had an accident during landing at Tripoli International Airport," a statement said.
Libyan Transport Minister Mohammed Ali Zaidan said 96 bodies had been recovered and rescuers were searching for the rest of the victims.
The head of the European Parliament, Jerzy Buzek, said the boy's survival was "truly a miracle."
The plane was approaching the airport in Tripoli when it crashed about 6am local time. There was no immediate word on the cause, according to a statement by the airline.
The aircraft that crashed was delivered from the production line in September 2009. It had accumulated about 1,600 flight hours in some 420 flights, according to Airbus.
Weather conditions over Tripoli's airport were good at the time of the crash.
Daniel Hoeltgen, spokesman for the European Aviation Safety Agency, said the Afriqiyah aircraft had undergone 10 recent safety inspections at European airports, with no significant findings.
He said a team of French crash investigators was already on its way to Tripoli.
"We are currently talking to Airbus and with the French accident investigator BEA, which will be involved in the investigation," he said. "We will lend our support if required by authorities in charge."
According to initial reports, the plane crashed as it neared the threshold of Tripoli's main east-west runway, while preparing to touch down. The main runway at the airport is about 3,600 meters long.
According to international airport guides, the airport does not have a precision approach system that guides planes down to the runway's threshold, but has two other less sophisticated systems that are in wide use throughout the world.
The crash site was scattered with smoldering debris.
The Dutch prime minister said everyone on the Afriqiyah Airways Airbus A330-200 arriving from Johannesburg was killed except the boy.
He was taken to a hospital in Tripoli and was undergoing surgery for injuries, including broken bones.
The Royal Dutch Tourism Board said 61 of the dead came from the Netherlands.
"This is a large group of Dutch nationals after all, so it's a deeply sad message we have this day," said Dutch Prime Minister Jan Peter Balkenende.
Libyan TV showed the dark-haired boy lying in a hospital bed with his head bandaged and an oxygen mask over his face. He had intravenous lines in one arm and appeared to be conscious as a nurse and a doctor attended to him.
Dozens of police and rescue workers with surgical masks and gloves carried away bodies. They gathered small personal items such as wallets and cell phones from the wreckage.
Others sifted through 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 was visible, bearing Afriqiyah's bright logo with the numbers "9.9.99," a reference to the date of the founding of the African Union.
The plane was carrying 93 passengers and 11 crew.
"Afriqiyah Airways announces that our flight 771 had an accident during landing at Tripoli International Airport," a statement said.
Libyan Transport Minister Mohammed Ali Zaidan said 96 bodies had been recovered and rescuers were searching for the rest of the victims.
The head of the European Parliament, Jerzy Buzek, said the boy's survival was "truly a miracle."
The plane was approaching the airport in Tripoli when it crashed about 6am local time. There was no immediate word on the cause, according to a statement by the airline.
The aircraft that crashed was delivered from the production line in September 2009. It had accumulated about 1,600 flight hours in some 420 flights, according to Airbus.
Weather conditions over Tripoli's airport were good at the time of the crash.
Daniel Hoeltgen, spokesman for the European Aviation Safety Agency, said the Afriqiyah aircraft had undergone 10 recent safety inspections at European airports, with no significant findings.
He said a team of French crash investigators was already on its way to Tripoli.
"We are currently talking to Airbus and with the French accident investigator BEA, which will be involved in the investigation," he said. "We will lend our support if required by authorities in charge."
According to initial reports, the plane crashed as it neared the threshold of Tripoli's main east-west runway, while preparing to touch down. The main runway at the airport is about 3,600 meters long.
According to international airport guides, the airport does not have a precision approach system that guides planes down to the runway's threshold, but has two other less sophisticated systems that are in wide use throughout the world.
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