Yemeni passenger plane with 153 people onboard crashes into Indian Ocean
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
According to reports, a Yemenia Airways Airbus A310 passenger jet has crashed into the Indian Ocean near the island nation of Comoros. At least 153 people were onboard the aircraft, 66 of them from Paris, France. So far the only reported survivor is a teenage girl. The plane crashed early Tuesday morning.
Yemenia Airways Flight 626 was traveling from Sana'a, the capital of Yemen, to Prince Said Ibrahim International Airport in Comoros.
Comoros lies nearly 200 miles from mainland Africa. The small, three island nation has a population of just under 800,000 with a combined military and police force of around 1,000. Comoros has no navy, leaving it with little to no sea rescue resources.
"We really have no sea rescue capabilities," said an unnamed police official.
The cause of the crash has not yet been determined.
Sources
- Ahmed Ali Amir. "Yemeni plane crashes with 153 aboard" — Reuters, June 30, 2009
- "Comoros: Child rescued alive in Airbus 310 crash" — KPAX, June 30, 2009
- "Yemen jet crashes in Indian Ocean" — BBC News Online, June 30, 2009
- "Passenger plane crashes off Comoros: officials" — BNO News, June 30, 2009
- "Yemeni plane 'crashes in Comoros'" — Aljazeera.net, June 30, 2009
- "Plane crashes in Comoros, 150 people on board - 3rd Update" — Earthtimes, June 30, 2009
- Ahmed Ali Amir and Andrew Cawthorne. "Plane carrying 150 people crashes" — Daily Telegraph, June 30, 2009
- Joe Weisenthal. "Another One! Airbus 310 Crashes In Indian Ocean" — The Business Insider, June 30, 2009
- "Airliner crashes in Comoros, 150 on board" — Reuters, June 30, 2009
- "Plane Carrying 150 Crashes In Indian Ocean" — Sky News, June 3, 2009
- "Airliner crashes in Comoros, 150 on board-official" — Reuters, June 30, 2009