- Title: FRANCE: Comorans say they warned about crash airline
- Date: 1st July 2009
- Summary: LA COURNEUVE, 10 KM NORTH OF PARIS, FRANCE (JUNE 30, 2009) (REUTERS) MEMBERS OF COMORAN COMMUNITY GATHERING MAN VIDEO TAPING GATHERING / PAN TO GROUP OF MEN SPEAKING CLOSE-UP OF MAN GETTING ANGRY WOMAN STANDING IN CROWD (SOUNDBITE) (French) JACK LAVAN, MEMBER OF COMORAN COMMUNITY IN FRANCE, SAYING: "All the Comorans have been saying exactly this for 10 years because we believe it's in very bad condition. We have to cling to the seats. There are no seatbelts. The baggage has to sit beside us. We've known they will kill us and today it is a big drama. We told them one day we will have this." CLOSE-UP OF LAVAN'S T-SHIRT PAN ACROSS VARIOUS MEMBERS OF COMMUNITY GATHERED AFTER PRAYERS (SOUNDBITE) (French) FAUZI AMADA, MEMBER OF COMORAN COMMUNITY IN FRANCE, SAYING: "The first responsibility lies with the government of Comoros. They know what happened and the second responsibility is with who? Yemenia." COPY OF PASSENGER LIST (SOUNDBITE) (French) RAFIK, MEMBER OF COMORAN COMMUNITY IN FRANCE, SAYING: "It's not the weather. It's the fault of the airplane. It wasn't checked and it flew even though it was dangerous." MEN FROM COMORAN COMMUNITY STANDING TOGETHER
- Embargoed: 16th July 2009 13:00
- Keywords:
- Location: France
- Country: France
- Topics: Disasters / Accidents / Natural catastrophes
- Reuters ID: LVA91P7P8DS80XR2CIASPOF84359
- Story Text: Members of the Comoran community gathered outside Paris on Tuesday evening (June 30), voicing anger and frustration after an air crash off the coast of Comoros.
An Airbus A310-300 from Yemen with 153 people on board crashed into the sea off the Indian Ocean archipelago of Comoros as it approached in bad weather early on Tuesday.
After prayers in a mosque in La Courneuve, about 10 kilometres (six miles) north of Paris, members of the Comoran community said they had warned that an accident such as this one would happen.
"All the Comorans have been saying exactly this for 10 years because we believe it's in very bad condition. We have to cling to the seats. There are no seatbelts. The baggage has to sit beside us. We've known they will kill us and today it is a big drama. We told them one day we will have this," said Jack Lavan.
Others wanted the authorities to take responsibility for the crash.
"The first responsibility lies with the government of Comoros. They know what happened and the second responsibility is with who? Yemenia," added Fauzi Amada.
"It's not the weather. It's the fault of the airplane. It wasn't checked and it flew even if it was dangerous," said Rafik, another member of the Comoran community who lives in the area.
A Yemenia official said there were 142 passengers including three infants, and 11 crew. The plane was flying to Moroni, capital of Grande Comore, the main island of the archipelago.
The Paris airport authority said 66 French nationals were aboard the plane, which was flying the final leg of a trip from Paris and Marseille to Comoros via Yemen.
A 14-year-old girl was found alive in the sea at the crash site, officials said, after earlier incorrect reports that the rescued child was five.
A Yemeni aviation official said there were also nationals from Canada, Comoros, Ethiopia, Indonesia, Morocco, the Palestinian territories, the Philippines and Yemen on the plane. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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