Dutch child believed to be sole survivor after Afriqiyah Airways plane crashes at Tripoli airport en route to London Gatwick
Matthew Weaver and agencies
A Dutch boy is the only survivor of a plane crash in Libya that killed more than 100 people. The plane crashed short of the runway at Tripoli airport en route to London's Gatwick airport. The Foreign Office is investigating reports that British people are among the dead.
The Airbus A330-200 was operated by the Libyan airline Afriqiyah.
It was arriving from Johannesburg for a stopover in the Libyan capital before flying to London. The passengers were thought to include British and South Africans, as well dozens of Dutch citizens and 22 Libyans.
Libyan TV footage of the crash site showed wreckage spread over a wide area of scrub land. Rescue workers and officials, many wearing face masks, were shown picking through the debris. Some were shown carrying a body in a sheet.
Jan Peter Balkenende, the prime minister of the Netherlands, confirmed the survival of a Dutch boy in the crash. He said "dozens of Dutch people" were among the dead.
Libya's transport minister, Mohamed Zidan, said the 10-year-old boy was in hospital with injuries that were not life-threatening. "The child is in good condition and is in hospital undergoing checks," the minister told a news conference at the airport.
Zidan said 96 bodies had so far been recovered from the wreckage.
Afriqiyah Airways said flight 8U771 crashed in Tripoli about 5am British time. "We are very sorry to announce the tragic loss of Afriqiyah airways flight 8U771 from Johannesburg in an accident during landing at Tripoli international airport," the airline said in its statement.
"We extend our deepest sympathy to the families and friends of the victims".
Libyan journalist Ali Mustafa Abdel-Latif told the broadcaster al-Arabiyya that the crash appeared unconnected to the cloud of volcanic ash affecting flights over nearby Morocco. He said it seemed to have been caused by pilot error.
Weather conditions over Tripoli at the time of the crash were good.
A spokesman for the Foreign Office said: "We are aware of reports that there were British nationals on board the flight but this has not been confirmed. We are urgently investigating".
A consular team from the British embassy was on its way to the airport.
An airline expert, speaking on condition of anonymity, said: "There are questions about the Libyan authorities ability to oversee the airline industry.
"The weather conditions were not bad but there are suggestions that the visibility was poor as the plane came into land. The real issue at Tripoli [airport] especially in poor visibility is that its not equipped with navigational aids – it does have ILS [instrument landing system].
Airbus issued a statement confirming it had manufactured the plane involved in the crash.
"Airbus will provide full technical assistance to the authorities responsible for the investigation into the accident," it said.
There have been two fatal crashes involving Airbus A330s. In 1994 seven crew were killed in test flight near Toulouse. Last year an Air France A330 from Rio de Janeiro crashed into the Atlanic Ocean, killing all 228 people on board.
Afriqiyah Airways was founded in April 2001 and is owned by the Libyan government.
The Guardian
