Libya plane crash 'kills all 105 on board'

[maddezmom]

Source: BBC

A commercial passenger plane has crashed in Libya, killing all 105 people on board, airport officials say.

The Afriqiyah Airways flight from Johannesburg had been due to land at 0610 local (0410 GMT), they said. The plane crashed close to the airport.

The 94 passengers on board the Airbus 330 are believed to be of various nationalities, including British and South African.

The 11 crew were all thought to be Libyan nationals, an employee said.

The plane had been due to go on to Heathrow airport after stopping in Tripoli.



Read more: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/8676758.stm

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Dozens dead in Libya plane crash

A plane has crashed at Libya's Tripoli airport, killing all 105 people on board.


The accident happened as the Afriqiyah Airways plane, which had flown from Johannesburg in South Africa, tried to land in the Libyan capital.

A Libyan security official said 94 passengers and 11 crew were among the dead.

"All passengers and crew members on board were killed," he said.

more: http://www.sbs.com.au/news/article/1256017/Dozens-dead-in-Libya-plane-crash

[aquart]

1. This is never good.

[muriel_volestrangler]

2. Awful. Too far away to be the volcano ash cloud, I think

That's to the west of Morocco:

[Blue_Tires]

4. weather conditions were supposed to be good

maybe pilot error?

[muriel_volestrangler]

6. Not much clue yet

Witnesses spoke of the plane inexplicably breaking up as it came down to land in clear weather.

"It exploded on landing and totally disintegrated," one security official told AFP, speaking on condition of anonymity.

Bongani Sithole, an official of Afriqiyah Airways at Johannesburg airport, said the crash happened "one metre away from the runway".

http://news.ninemsn.com.au/article.aspx?id=1051635

[daleo]

26. Still, they were shutting down airports in North Africa yesterday

So that's something that has to be seriously examined. One would also have to know the recent flight history of the aircraft.

[maddezmom]

3. Dutch child survives Libya plane crash: airport official

Dutch child survives Libya plane crash: airport
May 12, 2010
An eight-year-old Dutch boy was the sole survivor of an Afriqiyah plane crash at Tripoli airport which the airline said killed more than 100 people on Wednesday, an airport official said.

http://news.ninemsn.com.au/article.aspx?id=1051653

[Kablooie]

5. This happened in Japan also 20 years ago. One young girl survived a 747 crash.

She sat in the very last row of the plane.
I wonder where this boy sat?

[No Elephants]

29. Poor kid. Lucky to be alive, but family was probably on plane. What trauma.!

[conspirator]

7. A330 is cursed. I will never board one n/t

[Euromutt]

35. On the basis that three of them have crashed in 16 years?

Against how many uneventful flights?

Besides, the preliminary speculation is that nothing went wrong with the aircraft mechanically, but that a major factor is that the equipment at Tripoli airport is hopelessly out of date.

[conspirator]

36. On the basis that 2 crashed in a year. First AF447 now this.

Some problems only reveal themselves later when the plane gets older.

[Sen. Walter Sobchak]

37. or exactly as many 737's have crashed in the last year

Boycotting Boeing too?

[conspirator]

38. 737 is the best plane ever given the ratio (number of planes flying)/accidents

And I would not boycott airbus altogether. A320 and A340 have a much better record.

[Sen. Walter Sobchak]

40. the number of plane crashes in which the airliner itself was a factor

is very, very small

[kpete]

8. (8 year old)Boy survives as over 100 die in Libya plane crash

Source: Raw Story/Agence France-Presse

Boy survives as over 100 die in Libya plane crash

By Agence France-Presse
Wednesday, May 12th, 2010 -- 5:29 am

TRIPOLI (AFP) – A Libyan plane arriving from South Africa crashed on landing at Tripoli airport Wednesday, killing more than 100 people but an eight-year-old Dutch boy was a miracle survivor, officials said.

Afriqiyah Airways listed 93 passengers and 11 crew members on board its flight 8U771 from Johannesburg.

"I can confirm the crash but not the number of the dead," said Bongani Sithole, an official of the airline at Johannesburg airport. "We hear that it happened one metre (yard) away from the runway."

A Libyan security official earlier told AFP that all those on board the Airbus A330 had died but an airport official said in fact an eight-year-old boy from the Netherlands had survived and was rushed to hospital near Tripoli.

Read more: http://rawstory.com/rs/2010/0512/boy-survives-100-die-libya-plane-crash/

[ShortnFiery]

9. It seems nothing less than a miracle.

I'm not all that spiritual but this little boy's survival seems nothing short of potential divine intervention?

I hope he's blessed to live a full and enriched life.

[jgraz]

11. Really? So God chose to let the other 100 die a horrible death?

Dude sounds like an asshole.

[ShortnFiery]

14. Gee, we are focusing on different facts. Nobody is saying anything negative about the dead ...

only that one person surviving is better than none. I have no argument with you ... we hold the same basic values - none deserved to die. I don't understand fate anymore than you.

[dave29]

25. Children are not uncommonly the only survivors or among them.

Their bodies are smaller.

[jgraz]

34. And Baby Jesus loves them more.

Just sayin...

[Democat]

20. God wanted the other 100 people dead?

That's what is left unsaid in most of the "miracle" stories you hear.

[Stuckinthebush]

21. You and your critical thinking

Just stop it!

:)

[YOY]

19. Miracle? No...I differ. Lucky as all hell and possibly alive due to the actions of the dead.

If I were in a situation where I most likely would perish but could save my child's life (or any child) I would.

[jgraz]

10. And we're already hearing the nonsense about the "miracle boy"

As if the other 100-odd people were intentionally killed by their god. :eyes:

[ShortnFiery]

12. Sure, it was, by all logical accounts, SHEER LUCK. However, it still is what may be termed ...

"a blessing?" Well, at least the surviving relatives and friends will believe so.

[marshall]

13. Folks want to see life as something more than random occurrences

Miracles are attempts (albeit imperfect) to explain the inexplicable.

[ShortnFiery]

15. Bingo! If one's beliefs provide comfort to the grieving and harm nobody else, who am I

to disrespect their perspectives?

[jgraz]

16. The entire plane crash was inexplicable

Are we to believe that the other 100 were bad people who had to be "put down" by an angry god? If so, couldn't He wait until they weren't in mid-air with a virtuous 8-year-old?

[ShortnFiery]

17. Again, we are talking on parallel levels. I'm only focusing on the living. No, death of the other

100 was nothing short of a tragedy and there's no explanation. That's a given.

[jgraz]

18. There's no explanation for either event

Implying that one is a miracle really does cast aspersions on those who weren't so lucky.

Maybe I'm just sensitive to this since I just watched a friend die of brain cancer. I don't want to live in a universe where some all-powerful asshole gets to kill my friend and give others "miracle" recoveries.

[Demstud]

24. It works the other way too

When talking about a hypothetical all knowing supreme being and life after death, it could just as easily be the survivor that is being punished. Imagine being the survivor of a horrible accident, everyone around you dying, messed up for life... meanwhile the dead live on in some kind of paradise happy as can be.

Seriously though, I hope the kid turns out ok. Also, I curious about the physics behind his survival... how the heck does someone survive that??

[No Elephants]

30. You're living in the universe. If short 'n fiery wants to believe this child

was the beneficiary of divine intervention, you're still living in the universe. It's short 'n fiery's beliefs you can't tolerate, not the universe in which you live. What she believes isn't huring her or you or anyone else..

[jgraz]

33. You're familiar with the concept of an internet discussion board, no?

This would be a pretty boring place if we just accepted each other's beliefs without comment ;)

[marshall]

22. Those are the questions folks wrestle with

And one has the choice to believe whatever one wants.

My belief is that not everything has a reason that we can understand. And that's not necessarily a belief a connect to "god" or religion or faith.

[jgraz]

27. What's there to wrestle with?

Shit happens. QED.

[marshall]

28. The continuum between having a reason something and just going with the flow

Folks figure out their own way of coming to an acceptance of the mortality of life.

[proteus_lives]

41. You're so smart.

Why aren't you out sharing your genius with the world?

[No Elephants]

31. You're not being an arse about your beliefs, and neither is short n fiery.

IMO, that puts both of you above a lot of people on this board re: that issue.

I've been a believer, an atheist and a believer again, though in a different way than the first time. At no stage did I feel compelled to try to convert anyone to my views or harangue anyone about their views. I just don't understand why anyone does.

[superconnected]

32. Depends on your religion. If you are a Christian who harbors an angry god who kills people when they

are bad and doesn't when they are good I suppose that would work.

Of course that means all people are ultimately bad because all ultimately die.

I went to Christian churches for years and never heard that. Of course I was non-denominational so maybe didn't get any one sects real beliefs. I would guess people mean it's a miracle at face value that anyone lived. Maybe they should have used to words "good luck" or something but I think that should be equally offensive to you if you don't believe in things you can't see like luck.

[Jennicut]

23. Are his parents gone though? Poor little boy. Must have been extremely

traumatic but he is lucky to have lived.

[Kringle]

39. World Cup terrorism ...stay away...nt