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A6 WORLD NEWS
Tuesday 24 May 2022
Lone survivor of 2009 plane crash testifies in Paris court

By JADE LE DELEY ther who helped her deal
Associated Press with the trauma. She didn’t
PARIS (AP) — The lone survi- seek therapy after leaving
vor of a 2009 plane crash in the hospital.
the Indian Ocean took the “I didn’t feel comfortable
stand Monday in a Paris talking to a stranger. I was
courtroom, recounting her close with my family,” she
ordeal as a 12-year-old girl said.
hearing screams, clinging Bakari said she is “doing
to floating debris and des- much better now,” and re-
perately hoping that her sumed flying two years af-
mother was still alive. ter the crash.
Bahia Bakari’s mother was She said she doesn’t suffer
among 152 people who traumatic flashbacks, but
died on the flight operated she isn’t at ease in the wa-
by Yemen Airways, which is ter.
now known as Yemenia. Bakari couldn’t attend her
Composed throughout her mother’s funeral because
testimony, Bakari cried as she was still in the hospital,
she mourned her mother’s but said she considered
loss. Others in the court- herself lucky because her
room broke down crying mother’s body was identi-
too. Franco-Comoran Bahia Bakari stands in a courthouse in Paris, France, on May 9, 2022. fied, and she had a proper
Associated Press
Bakari, dressed all in white grave.
and praised for her bravery occurred at 11:53 p.m., membered that “everyone home safe.” Bakari, who describes her-
by judges and lawyers, de- causing the deaths of 141 was exhausted.” As the hours passed, she self as “a proud Comorian,”
livered powerful testimony passengers and 11 crew After the plane plunged said, “I lost track of time stood with the more than
in a room heavy with emo- members. Sixty-five of the into the ocean, she when I was in the water.” 250 plaintiffs, who mostly
tion. dead were French citizens. grasped a floating part of After her rescue, Bakari was come from Comoros, in a
“We were landing, I started Now 25, Bakari was 12 the destroyed plane and taken to the Moroni hos- packed courtroom. The
to feel some turbulence when she took the plane stayed in the water for 11 pital then repatriated to trial was broadcast live in
but people didn’t seem with her mother to go to hours before being saved France. Bakari suffered a a courtroom in Marseille,
worried about it. Then I felt Comoros off Africa’s east- by fishermen. broken collarbone, a bro- where many victims came
an electrical shock and ern coast to attend a wed- Bakari remembered hear- ken hip, burns and other from.
I woke up in the water. I ding. The plane departed ing “female voices which injuries. She co-wrote a book “Ba-
don’t remember what hap- from Paris, made a stop- screamed for help in Co- Today, “I don’t suffer any hia, the Miracle Girl,” and
pened between sitting in over in the southern French morian” at first. She then fell physical effects, but my told the court she did it for
the plane and being in the city of Marseille and then asleep and woke up alone: mother is gone. I was very the victim’s’ relatives, to
water. I have a black hole,” landed in Sanaa. Bakari “It was so long. I almost close to her,” she said, in “leave them something to
Bakari said. described switching to a gave up. I almost lost hope. tears. hold on to.”
Yemen’s national carrier is smaller plane to go from Thinking about my mom The young woman, who Despite the pain of reliving
charged with manslaugh- the Yemeni capital to Mo- helped me to hold up. I now works in real estate, the memories, she said she
ter and unintentional inju- roni in the Comoros. It was convinced myself that ev- has two younger siblings felt relieved to have a trial,
ries over the crash, which a night flight and Bakari re- eryone except me made it and relied mostly on her fa- even so many years later.q

7 die in Philippine ferry fire; over 120 rescued from water

MANILA, Philippines (AP) — the northeastern Philippines many survivors to jump into said by telephone, add- had a heart attack while
A ferry carrying more than on Monday, killing seven the sea where they were ing that many of those res- floating in the water.
130 people caught fire in passengers and forcing rescued by other vessels. cued were in shock and Investigators were looking
The fire rapidly spread from had to be treated for burns into the fire, and other fer-
the engine room to the up- and bruises and given dry ries operated by the owner
per passenger deck of the clothes and shoes. of Mercraft 2 would likely
M/V Mercraft 2 while it was Pictures released by the be suspended from operat-
approaching a port in Real, coast guard showed fire ing while undergoing safe-
town administrator Filom- engulfing the ferry and dark ty inspections, officials said.
ena Portales said. It had smoke billowing from it. In- The wreckage was towed
been en route to the town jured survivors on stretchers to shore in Real.
in Quezon province from were taken to waiting am- Sea accidents are com-
Polillo Island. bulances while a rescuer mon in the Philippine ar-
Many of the 134 passen- tried to revive an uncon- chipelago because of fre-
gers and crew jumped scious survivor by pressing quent storms, badly main-
into the water and were on his chest. tained boats, overcrowd-
plucked from the sea by The coast guard said every- ing and weak enforcement
motorboats and cargo ves- one on the ferry had been of safety regulations. In
sels, coast guard officials accounted for and 24 peo- December 1987, the ferry
In this handout provided by the Philippine Coast Guard, smoke said. “Fishing boats and ple who were injured were Dona Paz sank after collid-
billows from ferry M/V Mercraft 2 as it’s towed to an island off other vessels were able taken to a hospital. ing with a fuel tanker, killing
of the town of Real, Quezon province, Philippines on Monday, to approach quickly and Portales said seven passen- more than 4,300 people in
May 23, 2022. everybody helped, so the gers died from burns and the world’s worst peace-
Associated Press
rescue was fast,” Portales drowning and one possibly time maritime disaster.q