French and Dutch specialists join in the investigation into Afriqiyah crash -

The aircraft - flight 8U771 - was arriving from Johannesburg, South Africa.

There is believed to be just one survivor from the crash – a ten year old Dutch boy.

The aircraft – which is less than a year old – is understood to have crashed short of the approach to the international airport for the Libyan capital.

According to the Met office, weather was good with clear visibility and loight winds.

In a statement, manufacturer Airbus said “ In line with ICAO Annex 13 international convention, Airbus will provide full technical assistance to the Authorities responsible for the investigation into the accident through the Bureau d’Enquete et d’Analyse (BEA). The concerns and sympathy of the Airbus employees go to the families, friends and loved ones affected by the accident of Afriqiyah Airways aircraft.’

104 people (93 passengers and 11 crew) were on board. Most of the passengers were connecting to European airports including Brussels, Duesseldorf, , Paris, and London’s Gatwick Airport.

Among the dead were at least 61 Dutch and 22 Libyans.  It has been reported that at least one Briton and a number of Germans were also among the victims.

Images of the crash scene suggest that the plane went down “hard and fast.” According to Dutch sources the pilot radioed ahead to have ambulances ready at the airport.   A passenger also “twittered” from the plane that he saw something wrong with one of the wings.

Afriqiyah’s safety record has been good and the Libyan airline has been steadily growing. According to premium data service ACAS, Afriqiyah is a new operator of the A330, having taken the first of its three A330-200s last year. All three aircraft listed in its fleet - serial numbers 999, 1024 and 1043 - are General Electric CF6-powered variants no older than nine months.