Yemeni Airbus crashes in Indian Ocean at Comoros
June 30th, 2009 - 3:48 pm ICT by John Le Fevre
An Airbus A310-300 from Yemen with 153 people on board crashed into choppy seas as it tried to land in bad weather on the Indian Ocean archipelago of Comoros today.
An official from the Yemeni state carrier said the plane had 142 passengers, including three infants, and 11 crew members on board.
The aircraft was on a scheduled flight from Sanaa to Moroni, the capital of the main island of the Comoros archipelago and the control tower had received notification the plane was coming in to land before losing contact with it.
Ibrahim Kassim, an official with the Agency for Aviation Security and Navigation in Africa (Asecna), the regional air security body, said, search and rescue planes had spotted debris and bodies at the crash site, 5-10km from the coast along its landing approach.
The deputy general manager for Yemenia operations, Mohammad al-Sumairi, said, “we still do not have information about the reason behind the crash or survivors.”
“The weather conditions were rough… strong wind and high seas. The wind speed recorded on land at the airport was 61 kilometres an hour. There could be other factors.”
It is the second Airbus to plunge into the sea this month.
On June 1, an Air France Airbus A330-200 crashed into the Atlantic Ocean killing all 228 people on board.
- Child survives Yemenia Airlines crash in Comoros - Jun 30, 2009
- 150 Feared Dead In Comoros Islands Crash - Jun 30, 2009
- Hopes dwindle for more Yemenia air crash survivors - Jul 01, 2009
- Pilot of Yemenia plane did not send distress signal - Jul 02, 2009
- Search on for Yemeni plane crash survivors; child rescued (Third Lead) - Jun 30, 2009
- Bodies of Yemen Airways crash victims spotted (Second Lead) - Jun 30, 2009
- Yemenia could be banned in Europe, says France - Jul 03, 2009
- 18 bodies from Yemen Airways crash found - Jul 10, 2009
- Plane crashes with 150 on board crashes in Indian Ocean (Lead) - Jun 30, 2009
- Boat finds wreckage of crashed airliner off Comoros: officials - Jun 30, 2009
- Yemen Airways plane carrying 153 crashes in Indian Ocean - Jun 30, 2009
- 50 drown in Comoros boat accident - Aug 09, 2011
- One survivor of Yemenia Airways crash found: Report - Jun 30, 2009
- Fighter jet crashes in southern Iran, killing 2 - Jan 27, 2012
- Plane with 150 on board crashes in Comoros - Jun 30, 2009
Tags: air france, air france airbus, air security, airbus a310, airbus a330 200, asecna, aviation security, bad weather, choppy seas, control tower, crash site, landing approach, regional air, rescue planes, sanaa, security body, state carrier, strong wind, weather conditions, yemeni state