Breaking News: Libya plane crash kills 103, Dutch boy survives

TRIPOLI, (Reuters) – A Libyan Airbus crashed as it  tried to land at Tripoli airport early today, killing 103  passengers and crew aboard, but a Dutch boy survived, officials  said.
Libya’s Afriqiyah Airways said it operated the plane, which  was flying from Johannesburg in South Africa to Tripoli.  Planemaker Airbus said the jet was an A330-200 and that the  company would help authorities with their investigation.
“All of the passengers and crew died except for one child,”  a Libyan security source told Reuters at Tripoli airport. “There  were 93 passengers and 11 crew on board.”
The Dutch motorists association ANWB said 61 Dutch people  were killed in the crash and that the survivor was a boy.
Libya’s Transport Minister Mohamed Zidan said the sole  survivor was a 10-year-old Dutch child. “The child is in good  condition and is in hospital undergoing checks,” the minister  told a news conference at the airport.
The minister also said an investigation would be launched to  establish the cause of the crash but he ruled out a terrorist  attack.
A Reuters reporter at the airport was not able to see the  crash site but said ambulances could be seen ferrying bodies of  the victims to hospital mortuaries. Libyan officials said they  had recovered dozens of bodies.
“The plane crash landed short of the runway. For now we do  not have any further details,” an Afriqiyah official who  identified himself as the manager of its legal department told  Reuters by telephone.
The casualties included 22 Libyans, half of them members of  the crew, and the rest were of various nationalities, officials  said. They said they did not have any more details, except that  there were Africans and Europeans among the dead.
Dutch Prime Minister Jan Peter Balkenende said several dozen  Dutch passengers were on board. He did not have an exact number.
In a statement posted on its website, Afriqiyah Airways said  its flight 8U771 had an accident during landing at Tripoli  International airport. An airport official said the plane  crashed at 6.10 a.m. local time (0410 GMT).
An executive with the airline told the news conference that  it would be setting up an information centre at a Tripoli hotel  to handle inquiries about the victims.
The airline also posted a telephone number on its Internet  site for anyone seeking information about passengers.
“We are very sorry to announce the tragic loss of Afriqiyah  airways flight 8U771 from Johannesburg in an accident during  landing at Tripoli international airport,” the airline said in  its statement.
“We extend our deepest sympathy to the families and friends  of the victims,” it said.
Airbus issued a statement confirming it had manufactured the  plane involved in the crash. “Airbus will provide full technical  assistance to the authorities responsible for the investigation  into the accident,” it said.