- Title: COMOROS: Search for crashed Yemeni plane goes into fifth day
- Date: 5th July 2009
- Summary: AT SEA OFF MITSAMIOBI, COMOROS (JULY 4, 2009) (REUTERS) SEARCH PLANE FLYING OVER WATER MORE OF SEARCH PLANE/ SEARCH SHIP IN WATER VARIOUS OF SPEED BOATS ON WATER CARRYING FRENCH DIVERS FRENCH DIVER ON WALKIE TALKIE VARIOUS OF SPEED BOATS ON WATER (2 SHOTS) (SOUNDBITE) (French) GAVEN CEDRIC, FRENCH DIVER, SAYING: "We have two ways to work, first we get a message from the search planes after they go round the search area and see something, then we go there and mark what has been seen. After that we call other boats to look through the area. We also use GPS to mark the area." VARIOUS OF DIVERS IN SPEED BOATS (SOUNDBITE) (French) GAVEN CEDRIC, FRENCH DIVER, SAYING: "There is a lot of sea rubbish blowing in the water. We have not found anything from the plane, just things like plastic. But this is not from the plane." OCEAN WATER SPEED BOATS COMING BACK TO SHORE
- Embargoed: 20th July 2009 13:00
- Keywords:
- Location: Comoros
- Country: Comoros
- Topics: Disasters / Accidents / Natural catastrophes
- Reuters ID: LVAEZ0ZM5UDIRW2W0V0U1FFWVV3D
- Story Text: No end in sight for search of passenger jet that plunged into the Indian Ocean off the coast of Comoros as joint efforts go into fifth day.
The search for the wreckage of a Yemeni jet that plunged into the Indian Ocean off the Comoros islands continued into its fifth day on Saturday (July 4).
A joint team of American, French and Yemeni military aircraft and boats continue to scour the crash site but have failed to locate any wreckage, thought to be in waters up to 500 metres (1,600 ft) deep.
"We have two ways to work, first we get a message from the search planes after they go round the search area and see something, then we go there and mark what has been seen. After that we call other boats to look through the area. We also use GPS to mark the area," said Gaven Cedric, one of the divers.
The sole survivor of the crash, 14-year-old Bahia Bakari, who can barely swim, clung to floating debris for more than 12 hours before search teams spotted her in rough seas.
No parts of the plane or the 152 passengers and crew have been spotted since the Yemenia Airbus A310-300 crashed in strong winds in the early hours of Tuesday morning.
"There is a lot of sea rubbish blowing in the water. We have not found anything from the plane, just things like plastic. But this is not from the plane," said Cedric.
The stricken airliner was coming in to land at Moroni, the Comoran capital, on the final leg of a trip from Paris and Marseille to Comoros via Yemen.
Local rescuers suspect many of the dead remain trapped inside the sunken wreckage.
The cause of the crash is still unknown.
The airline said there were 75 Comoran passengers on board, along with 65 French nationals, one Palestinian and one Canadian. The crew was comprised of six Yemenis, two Moroccans, one Indonesian, one Ethiopian and a Filipina. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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