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Comoros survivor reaches Paris

Bahia Bakari, only survivor of the Yemeni plane crash, is recovering in a hospital
Hardnews Bureau

Bahia Bakari, 14, is the only survivor of the ill-fated Yemeni airliner that crashed in the Indian Ocean near the Comoros archipelago on Tuesday.

Reports suggest that rescuers found Bakari clinging to the plane wreckage amidst bad weather, floating corpses and debris from the airliner. Bakari spent more than 13 hours in the sea before being rescued. She has a broken collar bone, abrasions, bruises and minor injuries and is recovering at a hospital near her home in Paris suburbs. She was brought to Paris on Thursday from Comoros.
Bakari has become an instant hit with the masses for her grit and will to survive under difficult circumstances. Her father reportedly told mediapersons that she is a fragile girl and could barely swim. She is the eldest of the four children and was in the plane with her mother Aziza. Aziza is presumed dead, but reports mention that Bakari has not been told about it.

The Yemeni airliner with 150 people on board crashed in the Indian Ocean near the Comoros archipelago. The plane was flying from Paris and was due to land in the capital of the Comoros island, Moroni. The causes of the crash have not been confirmed yet.
However, French transport minister has reportedly said that the Airbus A310-300 had been banned from flying in France and the plane was in its last phase of operation. However, Yemeni authorities have blamed bad weather for the mishap and continued to claim that the plane was fit to fly.

Various reports suggest that the control tower had received permission for landing before the aircraft lost contact with the ground staff. According to unconfirmed reports, the crash occurred after the plane aborted landing. Bad weather could be one of the reasons for the crash.

The plane, an Airbus A310-300, belonged to the Yemen's state carrier, Yemenia.

This is the second crash of its kind in a month after a French Airbus 330 crashed into the ocean on June 1, 2009, killing all the 228 passengers, mostly French, on board. Two Airbus 330s crashing in a span of only four weeks should raise serious concerns about the much-hyped aircraft.