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103 killed in Libyan jet crash
A Libyan plane arriving from South Africa disintegrated on landing at Tripoli airport on Wednesday, killing 103 people but leaving an eight-year-old boy as the sole miracle survivor, officials said.
A Libyan plane arriving from South Africa disintegrated on landing at Tripoli airport on Wednesday, killing 103 people but leaving an eight-year-old boy as the sole miracle survivor, officials said.
Libyan Transport Minister Mohammed Ali Zidan listed “Libyans, Europeans, Africans” among the dead. Zidan told a media conference an inquiry was on to determine what caused the Afriqiyah Airways Airbus A330 to break up mass-ively, but ruled out terrorism.
Libyan television showed teams of emergency workers sifting through the wreckage of the plane, which was scattered in a wide arc across the landing area.
“There were 104 people on board — 93 passengers and 11 crew members,” Zidan said, adding remains of 96 victims had already been recovered.
There was only one survivor, an eight-year-old Dutch boy, he said. “His life is not in danger,” Zidan said.
Witnesses spoke of the plane inexplicably breaking up as it came down to land in clear weather. “It exploded on landing and totally disintegrated,” a security official said.
