Bahia Bakari
Encyclopedia
Bahia Bakari is a French schoolgirl who became world famous as the sole survivor of Yemenia Flight 626
, an Airbus A310
, which crashed into the Indian Ocean
near the north coast of Grande Comore
, Comoros
on June 30, 2009, killing all other 152 people on board. Bakari, who could barely swim and had no life vest, clung to a piece of aircraft wreckage, floating in heavy seas for over nine hours, much of it in pitch darkness, before being rescued. Her mother, who had been traveling with her from Paris
, France
for a summer vacation in Comoros, died in the crash.
Dubbed "the miracle girl" by the world press ("la miraculée" in French), Bakari was flown back to France on a private Falcon-900 government jet, escorted by French Cooperation Minister Alain Joyandet
. Arriving at Le Bourget airport, she was reunited with her father, Kassim Bakari, and the rest of her family, and transported to a Paris hospital for a fractured pelvis and collarbone, burns to her knees and some facial injuries.
Upon her return to Paris, Minister Joyandet hailed Bakari's survival:
Bakari was released from the hospital three weeks later, after undergoing treatment and surgery. In 2010 she released a memoir book, "Moi Bahia, la miraculée" ("Me Bahia, the miracle girl"), co-authored with a French journalist as a ghostwriter, detailing her survival and rescue. She has reportedly turned down an offer by Steven Spielberg
to make a film based on her book. According to Aviation Safety Network
's database, Bakari is a survivor of the deadliest sole-survivor ocean crash, and the second deadliest sole-survivor crash ever.
Bakari and her mother, Aziza Aboudou, were traveling to the Comoros for a summer vacation. Like many of the passengers of Yemenia Flight 626, they began their voyage from Paris, France on a different plane, which made an intermediate stop in Marseille
and then landed in Sana'a, Yemen. There the passengers boarded another aircraft, an Airbus A310
, for the flight segment to Comoros, with a stop in Djibouti
. As it descended for its approach, minutes away from its final destination of Prince Said Ibrahim International Airport
, the jet plunged into the ocean 9 miles (14.5 km) north of the coastline of Grande Comore
island, breaking apart as it hit the water, at approx. 01:50 local time (22:50 UTC). Bakari was ejected from the plane as it crashed, and found herself floating alone outside amid debris.
— arrived at the crash site and discovered Bakari, as the sole survivor among bits of floating wreckage.
As soon as Bakari was sighted, a member of the rescue team threw her a life preserver, but the waters were too rough, and she was too exhausted to grab it. One of the sailors, Maturaffi Sélémane Libounah, jumped into the water and handed her a flotation device, after which they were both pulled safely aboard the Sima Com 2, where she was given dry blankets and a hot drink.
Ibrahim Abdallah, another sailor on the Sima Com 2, recalled Bakari's recovery:
The ship arrived in Port Moroni
at 19:25 local time (16:25 UTC), where Bakari was handed over to medical authorities and taken to a local hospital.
The next day, Bakari was transported back to Paris on a private French government Falcon-900 jet, escorted by Cooperation Minister Alain Joyandet
. Upon arrival, she was reunited with her father and other family members, and taken by ambulance to the Armand-Trousseau children's hospital in eastern Paris, where she was admitted and diagnosed with a fractured pelvis and collarbone, burns to her knees, cuts, bruises and exhaustion. One of her first visitors in the hospital was French President Nicolas Sarkozy
, who reportedly promised to host her and her family at the Élysée Palace
. She was released three weeks later after undergoing treatment and surgery.
In a commemoration ceremony held in Comoros for the accident victims on July 6, Comoran President Ahmed Abdallah Mohamed Sambi
declared a month of national mourning in his island nation and honored Maturaffi Sélémane Libounah, the sailor who had rescued Bahia Bakari, telling him: "You saved someone else's life at the risk of losing yours."
According to Aviation Safety Network
's database, Bakari is a survivor of the deadliest sole-survivor airliner ocean crash, and the second deadliest sole survivor airplane crash ever.
slick released from the aircraft's burst fuel tanks, she recalls having "...this taste of fuel in my mouth, mixed with salt, which burned my throat, my lungs and my stomach." Bakari writes that she only realized her plane had crashed and that she was the sole survivor when she was in the hospital, believing until then that she had simply fallen out into the ocean. AOL News reports that Steven Spielberg
approached Bakari to make a film based on her book, but she turned him down, worried that "it would be too terrifying."
Yemenia Flight 626
Yemenia Flight 626 was an Airbus A310-324 twin-engine jet airliner, operated by Yemenia, operating as a scheduled international flight from Sana'a, Yemen, to Moroni, Comoros, that crashed on 30 June 2009 at around 1:50 a.m. local time while on approach to Prince Said Ibrahim International...
, an Airbus A310
Airbus A310
The Airbus A310 is a medium- to long-range twin-engine widebody jet airliner. Launched in July 1978, it was the second aircraft created by Airbus Industrie,a consortium of European aerospace companies, Airbus is now fully owned by EADS and since 2001 has been known as Airbus SAS. the consortium of...
, which crashed into the Indian Ocean
Indian Ocean
The Indian Ocean is the third largest of the world's oceanic divisions, covering approximately 20% of the water on the Earth's surface. It is bounded on the north by the Indian Subcontinent and Arabian Peninsula ; on the west by eastern Africa; on the east by Indochina, the Sunda Islands, and...
near the north coast of Grande Comore
Grande Comore
Grande Comore is an island in the Indian Ocean off the coast of Africa. It is the largest island in the Comoros nation. Most of its population is of the Comorian ethnic group. Its population as of 2006 is about 316,600. The island's capital is Moroni, which is also the national capital...
, Comoros
Comoros
The Comoros , officially the Union of the Comoros is an archipelago island nation in the Indian Ocean, located off the eastern coast of Africa, on the northern end of the Mozambique Channel, between northeastern Mozambique and northwestern Madagascar...
on June 30, 2009, killing all other 152 people on board. Bakari, who could barely swim and had no life vest, clung to a piece of aircraft wreckage, floating in heavy seas for over nine hours, much of it in pitch darkness, before being rescued. Her mother, who had been traveling with her from Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
for a summer vacation in Comoros, died in the crash.
Dubbed "the miracle girl" by the world press ("la miraculée" in French), Bakari was flown back to France on a private Falcon-900 government jet, escorted by French Cooperation Minister Alain Joyandet
Alain Joyandet
Alain Joyandet is a French politician who was appointed Secretary of State for Cooperation and Francophony in the government of François Fillon from March 18, 2008 to July 2010. Prior to that, he was CEO of the Société Nouvelle des Éditions Comtoises , a publisher of weekly newspapers and journals...
. Arriving at Le Bourget airport, she was reunited with her father, Kassim Bakari, and the rest of her family, and transported to a Paris hospital for a fractured pelvis and collarbone, burns to her knees and some facial injuries.
Upon her return to Paris, Minister Joyandet hailed Bakari's survival:
Bakari was released from the hospital three weeks later, after undergoing treatment and surgery. In 2010 she released a memoir book, "Moi Bahia, la miraculée" ("Me Bahia, the miracle girl"), co-authored with a French journalist as a ghostwriter, detailing her survival and rescue. She has reportedly turned down an offer by Steven Spielberg
Steven Spielberg
Steven Allan Spielberg KBE is an American film director, screenwriter, producer, video game designer, and studio entrepreneur. In a career of more than four decades, Spielberg's films have covered many themes and genres. Spielberg's early science-fiction and adventure films were seen as an...
to make a film based on her book. According to Aviation Safety Network
Aviation Safety Network
-External links:**...
's database, Bakari is a survivor of the deadliest sole-survivor ocean crash, and the second deadliest sole-survivor crash ever.
Flight history and crash
Bakari and her mother, Aziza Aboudou, were traveling to the Comoros for a summer vacation. Like many of the passengers of Yemenia Flight 626, they began their voyage from Paris, France on a different plane, which made an intermediate stop in Marseille
Marseille
Marseille , known in antiquity as Massalia , is the second largest city in France, after Paris, with a population of 852,395 within its administrative limits on a land area of . The urban area of Marseille extends beyond the city limits with a population of over 1,420,000 on an area of...
and then landed in Sana'a, Yemen. There the passengers boarded another aircraft, an Airbus A310
Airbus A310
The Airbus A310 is a medium- to long-range twin-engine widebody jet airliner. Launched in July 1978, it was the second aircraft created by Airbus Industrie,a consortium of European aerospace companies, Airbus is now fully owned by EADS and since 2001 has been known as Airbus SAS. the consortium of...
, for the flight segment to Comoros, with a stop in Djibouti
Djibouti
Djibouti , officially the Republic of Djibouti , is a country in the Horn of Africa. It is bordered by Eritrea in the north, Ethiopia in the west and south, and Somalia in the southeast. The remainder of the border is formed by the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden at the east...
. As it descended for its approach, minutes away from its final destination of Prince Said Ibrahim International Airport
Prince Said Ibrahim International Airport
Prince Said Ibrahim International Airport is an international airport located in Moroni, Comoros.-Airlines and destinations:- Accidents and Incidents :...
, the jet plunged into the ocean 9 miles (14.5 km) north of the coastline of Grande Comore
Grande Comore
Grande Comore is an island in the Indian Ocean off the coast of Africa. It is the largest island in the Comoros nation. Most of its population is of the Comorian ethnic group. Its population as of 2006 is about 316,600. The island's capital is Moroni, which is also the national capital...
island, breaking apart as it hit the water, at approx. 01:50 local time (22:50 UTC). Bakari was ejected from the plane as it crashed, and found herself floating alone outside amid debris.
Survival
Having no life jacket and with only minimal swimming skills Bakari managed to hold on to a fuselage wreck. Most of the time that was to elapse before her rescue it was dark night. She reported later that initially there must have been other survivors as she could hear them after the crash but later the voices disappered. In the morning of the next day Bakari came to realize she was alone at sea having been drifting for hours without food and water. She also reported having seen a ship on the horizon that was, however, too far away to take notice of her.Rescue
Since the Comoran government has no ships of its own, it asked all commercial and private vessels to help in the search and rescue effort. At approx. 11 local time (08:00 UTC), about 9 hours after the crash, the Sima Com 2 — a privately owned ship which normally carries passengers between Comoros and the neighboring island of MadagascarMadagascar
The Republic of Madagascar is an island country located in the Indian Ocean off the southeastern coast of Africa...
— arrived at the crash site and discovered Bakari, as the sole survivor among bits of floating wreckage.
As soon as Bakari was sighted, a member of the rescue team threw her a life preserver, but the waters were too rough, and she was too exhausted to grab it. One of the sailors, Maturaffi Sélémane Libounah, jumped into the water and handed her a flotation device, after which they were both pulled safely aboard the Sima Com 2, where she was given dry blankets and a hot drink.
Ibrahim Abdallah, another sailor on the Sima Com 2, recalled Bakari's recovery:
When the girl saw us approaching, she let go of the piece of debris she had been using as a life preserver. Suddenly, a large wave flipped her over and she disappeared from view, until she reappeared a few minutes later. It was at this exact moment that Maturaffi jumped into the water to save her.
The ship arrived in Port Moroni
Moroni, Comoros
-References:...
at 19:25 local time (16:25 UTC), where Bakari was handed over to medical authorities and taken to a local hospital.
Aftermath
Alain Joyandet
Alain Joyandet is a French politician who was appointed Secretary of State for Cooperation and Francophony in the government of François Fillon from March 18, 2008 to July 2010. Prior to that, he was CEO of the Société Nouvelle des Éditions Comtoises , a publisher of weekly newspapers and journals...
. Upon arrival, she was reunited with her father and other family members, and taken by ambulance to the Armand-Trousseau children's hospital in eastern Paris, where she was admitted and diagnosed with a fractured pelvis and collarbone, burns to her knees, cuts, bruises and exhaustion. One of her first visitors in the hospital was French President Nicolas Sarkozy
Nicolas Sarkozy
Nicolas Sarkozy is the 23rd and current President of the French Republic and ex officio Co-Prince of Andorra. He assumed the office on 16 May 2007 after defeating the Socialist Party candidate Ségolène Royal 10 days earlier....
, who reportedly promised to host her and her family at the Élysée Palace
Élysée Palace
The Élysée Palace is the official residence of the President of the French Republic, containing his office, and is where the Council of Ministers meets. It is located near the Champs-Élysées in Paris....
. She was released three weeks later after undergoing treatment and surgery.
In a commemoration ceremony held in Comoros for the accident victims on July 6, Comoran President Ahmed Abdallah Mohamed Sambi
Ahmed Abdallah Mohamed Sambi
Ahmed Abdallah Mohamed Sambi is a Comorian Islamic leader and politician, and former President of Comoros. He is popularly known as 'Ayatollah'. After easily winning the 14 May 2006 presidential election with 58.02% of the national vote, Sambi was inaugurated as President of the Union of the...
declared a month of national mourning in his island nation and honored Maturaffi Sélémane Libounah, the sailor who had rescued Bahia Bakari, telling him: "You saved someone else's life at the risk of losing yours."
According to Aviation Safety Network
Aviation Safety Network
-External links:**...
's database, Bakari is a survivor of the deadliest sole-survivor airliner ocean crash, and the second deadliest sole survivor airplane crash ever.
Book
In January 2010, Bakari released an account of her ordeal in a French memoir, "Moi Bahia, la miraculée" ("Me Bahia, the miracle girl"), published by Jean-Claude Gawsewitch Éditeur in Paris, France. In the book, co-authored with French journalist Omar Guendouz as ghostwriter, Bakari provides details about her survival and rescue. She discloses that immediately after the crash, she thought she had fallen out of the airplane by pressing her forehead too hard against the window, and that her mother—who she believed had landed safely without her—would scold her for not wearing her seat belt. Then, floating on debris in the midst of a jet fuelJet fuel
Jet fuel is a type of aviation fuel designed for use in aircraft powered by gas-turbine engines. It is clear to straw-colored in appearance. The most commonly used fuels for commercial aviation are Jet A and Jet A-1 which are produced to a standardized international specification...
slick released from the aircraft's burst fuel tanks, she recalls having "...this taste of fuel in my mouth, mixed with salt, which burned my throat, my lungs and my stomach." Bakari writes that she only realized her plane had crashed and that she was the sole survivor when she was in the hospital, believing until then that she had simply fallen out into the ocean. AOL News reports that Steven Spielberg
Steven Spielberg
Steven Allan Spielberg KBE is an American film director, screenwriter, producer, video game designer, and studio entrepreneur. In a career of more than four decades, Spielberg's films have covered many themes and genres. Spielberg's early science-fiction and adventure films were seen as an...
approached Bakari to make a film based on her book, but she turned him down, worried that "it would be too terrifying."
See also
- List of sole survivors of aviation accidents or incidents
- Juliane Koepcke - another teenage girl who was a sole survivor
- Cecelia Cichan - a four year old girl who was a sole survivor
- Vesna VulovićVesna VulovicVesna Vulović is a Serbian former flight attendant. She holds the world record, according to the Guinness Book of Records, for surviving the highest fall without a parachute: .-Plane explosion:...
- a woman who was a sole survivor
