SANA'A, June 30 (Xinhua) -- A Yemeni airliner with
more than 150 people on board crashed in the Comoros archipelago in the Indian
Ocean on Tuesday, an employee working at Yemen's airport control tower confirmed
with Xinhua.
The employee said on condition of anonymity that an
Airbus A310 belonging to Yemenia Air crashed with 150 people on board some 15
minutes before its landing in Moroni, capital of Comoros.
"Yes, there is a crash, but now there is no much
information about when and where it occurs," he said.
According to the airline's schedule on website,
Flight 626 flew to Moroni from Sana'a at 8:00 p.m. local time, Monday. The plane
is scheduled to land at the islands on 23: 59 p.m. local time.
An AFP report said that the Yemen's national carrier
has officially confirmed the crash off the Comoros with 153 people on board.
Quoting Comoros Vice President Idi Nadhoim from the
airport, Reuters said the plane crashed in early hours of Tuesday, but no
immediate news was available on whether there are any survivors.
The report said the flight made a stop in Paris on
Monday and then taking off for Moroni.
It said French military planes already took off from
the Indian Ocean islands of Mayotte and Reunion to search for possible survivors
of the crashed flight.
Media reports cited Yemenia airport official as
saying that most of the passengers on the plane were believed to be Comoros
residents returning from Paris.
Passengers also include French citizens, the official
was quoted.
Meanwhile, media reports vary about the number of
people aboard the plane, with some saying 150 while others putting it at
somewhere between 142 to 150.
The Comoros is an archipelago of three main islands
situated about 1,800 miles (2,900 kilometer) south of Yemen, between Africa's
southeastern coast and Madagascar.
