Miracle as 9-year-old boy survives plane crash that killed all 103 others on board – Reuters

An Afriqiyah Airways plane exploded and disintegrated in midair as it approached Libya’s Tripoli airport – killing 103 passengers and leaving nine-year-old Dutch boy Ruben van Assouw its sole survivor

A nine-year-old boy miraculously survived a plane crash that killed all 103 other passengers, including his parents and brother.

Nine-year-old Ruben van Assouw from the Netherlands was found still strapped to his seat surrounded by plane wreckage after surviving the Afriqiyah Airways crash in May 2010.

At the time, this made Ruben one of only 14 survivors of serious plane crashes.

Rescue teams found the nine-year-old boy in the wreckage of the Libyan-owned Airbus A330-200 – which disintegrated on approach to Tripoli airport in May 2010, reports the Daily Star .

He was admitted to hospital where doctors operated on him for four hours after his terrifying ordeal.

Her legs were badly hit and broken in several places and could not move parts of her injured body, fearing that her brain had been bruised.

His parents were unfortunately pronounced dead in the accident, reports the Daily Mail.

It was reported that when doctors asked him where he was from, Ruben managed to mutter, “Holland, Holland.”

Afriqiyah Airways has confirmed that two Britons and an Irish citizen were among those who died when Flight 771 from Johannesburg, South Africa, exploded while landing in Tripoli, Libya.

A source commented, “It’s an absolute miracle he got out.”

“The plane crashed next to the runway. It was about a meter away.

“The body of the plane completely disintegrated, meaning most people would have died instantly.”

It was reported that the pilot reportedly warned air traffic controllers that there was a problem as he approached Tripoli airport.

Officials said at the time that weather conditions and visibility were good and ruled out the possibility of terrorism.

Close relatives released a statement confirming that extended family would be caring for Ruben and asking not to be contacted by the media, NBC News reports.

Tilburg Mayor Ivo Opstelten told Dutch television: “Let’s make sure he can catch his breath peacefully in the arms of his loved ones.

The child and his family need to find “some kind of balance between them, so that they can begin to draw a future”.

Ruben attended Yore primary school in Tilburg. Principal of the school, Elly Sebregts, said at the time: “When he comes back – we don’t know exactly how things will go – but when he comes back to school we will take very good care of him. .

“It’s the school’s job, I think. What we can do for him, in the school field, we will do.”