Data recorders retrieved from site of Tripoli air crash

Thursday, 13th May 2010

Rescue workers in Tripoli, Libya have recovered the flight-data recorders from the site of an Airbus crash that killed all but one of the 104 passengers and crew. An eight-year-old Dutch boy is the single survivor.

The Airbus airliner crashed while making its final approach to land at the airport in Tripoli. Sixty-two tourists from the Netherlands were among the 93 passengers. Dutch tour operators confirmed that they their customers were on the Airbus, which was at the end of a flight from Johannesburg, South Africa.

Workers have managed to recover the bodies of 96 of the victims, as well as the ‘black box’ recorders, which will help air-accident investigators. Libya’s Transport Minister, Mohamed Zeidan, said there was no evidence of any terrorist involvement. Passengers on board came from five European countries, plus a small number of countries in other parts of the world.

The twin-engine A330 used two General Electric engines. It first flew on 12 August last year and was delivered new to Afriqiyah Airways less than one month later. This is the second crash involving an A330 in 12 months. Airbus promised to give investigators its “full technical assistance”.

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