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Yemen air crash survivor flown to Paris

Updated on 02 July 2009

By More4 News

The only known survivor of a Yemeni plane which crashed into the Indian Ocean has arrived back in France.

Entrance of Yemenia Airways company in Paris (credit: Reuters)

The twelve year old girl Bahia Bakari arrived on a government plane to be met by her father, who lives near Paris. Her mother died in the crash along with 153 other passengers when the Sanaa to Comoros flight went down in bad weather.

Bahia, who can barely swim, clung on to floating debris for twelve hours before being rescued. She was taken to a hospital in Paris.

"I was in the dark. I couldn't see anything."

Earlier her father, Bakari Kassim, told French TV channel i-Tele he had spoken his daughter by telephone:


"I asked her what happened and she said 'We saw the plane fall in the water. I found myself in the water. I was hearing people speak but I couldn't see anyone.

"I was in the dark. I couldn't see anything. Daddy, I couldn't swim very well. I grabbed on to something but I don't know what'."

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