When I Was Young

Posted: 01 July 2009 1552 hrs

People attend a meeting in La Courneuve, near Paris, aimed at informing the Comoran community living in France on the crash of the Yemeni passenger jet.

PARIS: One of the black box flight recorders from the Yemenia jet which crashed off the Comoros has been located and efforts to retrieve it will begin Wednesday, the French government said.

"The black box's signal was located yesterday (Tuesday) at 4:30 pm local time (1230 GMT) by an aerial patrol, 40 kilometres (25 miles) from Grande Comore," said Cooperation Minister Alain Joyandet, quoted by a spokeswoman.

A French patrol ship, the Rieuse, was to arrive on site later Wednesday to start operations to recover the flight recorder, he added.

French rescue teams Wednesday joined in the search for survivors of the Yemenia jetliner, more than a day after it plunged into the sea while trying to land at Moroni airport in rough weather.

Sixty-six French nationals, and large numbers of Comorans resident in France, were among the 153 passengers of the Airbus A310.

A French military plane, two navy ships, Zodiac fast boats and other equipment have arrived from the neighbouring French island of Reunion to assist in the search.

A 14-year-old girl was saved from the seas off the coast of the Comoros archipelago, but the Red Cross has warned hopes of finding more survivors were slim.

- AFP/yt

From ChannelNewsAsia.com; see the source article here.