Comoros/Yemen/France

French minister says Yemenia black box not found

Article published on the 2009-07-01 Latest update 2009-07-01 15:53 TU

Cameramen and residents stand at the Indian Ocean beach as rescuers search for the missing Yemenia A310-300 airplane
(Photo: Reuters)

French Co-operation Minister Alain Joyandet has backtracked on an earlier claim that patrols have located the black box of the Yemeni Airbus 310 which crashed off the Comoros on Monday. Joyandet now says that a French military plane picked up a signal which seemed to be from the jetliner's distress beacons.

"There may have been some confusion," Joyandet admitted to  reporters in Moroni, after meeting the 13-year-old girl who was rescued Tuesday from the Indian Ocean.

"The frequency on which the [military] plane received the distress signal rules out the possibility that it could be the beacon attached to the black box," he added.

Earlier Joyandet's spokesperson said that an air patrol had picked up the black box's signal.

Two French ships and the Transall military plane were dispatched to crash zone to help the rescue effort. Sixty-six French nationals and many Cormorians resident in France were among the 142 passengers and 11 crew on the flight.

The flight left Paris on Monday for Marseille and Sanaa on board a modern Airbus A330 but the passengers switched to the older Airbus  to continue to Djibouti and Moroni.

The 19-year-old jet had been banned from France's airspace because of safety fears.

Comorans delayed a Paris flight to Sanaa and shut down travel agents in Marseille Wednesday in fury at the crash of an airliner that left 152 feared dead, saying the tragedy could have been avoided. The Yemenia airline says it will pay 20,000 euros compensation to each family which has lost a relative in the crash.