Dozens dead in Libya plane crash

More than 100 passengers and crew on board a plane from South Africa have been killed in a crash landing at Libya's Tripoli airport, amid reports a child survived the disaster.

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A plane has crashed at Libya's Tripoli airport, killing 105 people, but there are reports a child has survived the disaster.

The accident happened as the Afriqiyah Airways plane, which had flown from Johannesburg in South Africa, tried to land in the Libyan capital.

A Libyan security official said 94 passengers and 11 crew were among the dead.

"All passengers and crew members on board were killed," he said.

Another report claimed an eight-year-old Dutch boy had survived the crash.

Cause of crash unclear

The cause of the crash remains unclear.

South Africa's foreign ministry has confirmed a plane went missing while travelling from Johannesburg to Libya.

"All we know is that a plane went missing en route from Johannesburg to Tripoli," said foreign ministry spokesman Nomfanelo Kota.

"At this stage we cannot confirm whether the plane crashed.

"We are talking to civil authorites from South Africa and Tripoli," she added.

Afriqiyah Airways, which runs a fleet of Airbus planes, was founded in April 2001 and at first fully owned by the Libyan state.

The company's capital was later divided into shares to be managed by the Libya-Africa Investment Portfolio.





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Source: AFP, SBS

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