Sole survivor of air crash is fortunate – but not unique

THE teenage girl who was plucked from the ocean yesterday, the only survivor of an airliner crash that killed 152 people, was fortunate but not unique.

Since the ’70s alone, there have been a number of extraordinary cases where sole survivors have lived after catastrophic plane crashes.

Rescuers said the 14-year-old was found floating 16km out to sea from the Comoros islands off Africa’s east coast where the Yemeni Air Airbus was trying to land. The girl, who had been travelling with her mother, was taken to hospital but was making a good recovery, a rescue centre spokesman said.