At least 61 Dutch among dead in Libya plane crash

Associated Press, Amsterdam | Wed, 05/12/2010 7:32 PM | World

Sixty-one of those killed by a plane crash in Libya on Wednesday were from the Netherlands - more than half of those on board, Dutch officials said.

The Royal Dutch Tourism Board ANWB released the figure on its website.

Libyan authorities said 96 bodies had been recovered from the wreckage at the airport outside the Libyan capital of Tripoli.

Dutch Prime Minister Jan Peter Balkenende confirmed the only known survivor of the crash near Tripoli is a young Dutch boy. He said he had no further details, including the boy's age or condition.

The Dutch government was setting up a crisis team to deal with aspects of the crash from the Netherlands, he said, presumably including contacts with families of the victims.

"This is a large group of Dutch nationals after all, so it's a deeply sad message we have this day," Balkenende said, registering his "shock."

The Dutch tourism board said the flight that crashed left Johannesburg in South Africa and was heading to Brussels with a refueling stop in Tripoli.

The Belgian Foreign Ministry said no Belgians were on board the flight, although South African officials said 32 passengers on the flight were headed to Brussels.