July 1, 2009

Bakari Bahia, a 14-year-old girl, survived 12 hours in the Indian Ocean after a plane crash that killed 152 others.

She tells of being "ejected" from the Yemenia Airways Airbus as it broke up:
"She felt nothing, and was found in the water. She heard people talking around her but saw nobody during the night. She was ejected. She was found beside the plane. I never thought she would get out like that. It’s the Good Lord who wanted it."...

She had climbed on to a portion of wreckage – believed to be part of the plane’s cabin – but kept slipping back into the sea while clinging on to part of it with her hands.

By the time a boat’s torch picked her out in the depths, she could hardly move.

"We tried to throw her a life buoy to hang on to, but she wouldn’t take the buoy," said one of the rescuers.

I had to jump in to rescue her. She was trembling, trembling. We put four sheets around her, and gave her hot water and sugar.
She'd broken her collar bone, but she is doing well, the doctors say.

12 comments:

Fred4Pres said...

I am glad she is alive. What an amazing story.

rhhardin said...

Aviation expert explains that planes are not designed to plunge into the sea real audio.

Aviation expert explains how to survive a plunge into the sea real audio.

Whatever it takes to get women tuned in.

More at eleven.

MarkW said...

It’s the Good Lord who wanted it...

I just never understand people who see signs of divine intervention in cases like this. Do they really think the Good Lord demonstrates His beneficence by killing 150 people while saving one?

John Burgess said...

Mark W: You've got it backwards.

People do see divine intervention when they, of over 150 people, are saved. Being singled out for survival tends to be imbued with meaning, at least for that single person.

Of course you later run into the question, "Why me and not them?"

bearbee said...

Brava little fierce fighter.

Wince said...

Somewhere an agent is delivering the following pitch: "it's Titanic... meets... Jaws."

Treacle said...

She's had her one shot at cheating death. I hope I'm never on a plane with her.

Anonymous said...

for the one crew looking to get people out of purgatory using whichever map system, smart phone, and psychic powers, (finite permutations of those infinite things... at least the psychic power are infinite) they are asking why did one get left behind.

don't worry one other permutation knows the answer. she is the one who will run with a wolf. the salt of the earth.

traditionalguy said...

Has Airbus figured out how to stop breaking up in storms yet. I want a Boeing product when a choice is available. Our local carrier of choice snuck in some Airbus flights when it acquired Northwest last year, so you have to ask.

jag said...

"I just never understand people who see signs of divine intervention in cases like this.."

perhaps confronting the violent, unfeeling randomness of an event like this is simply too much to bear. people who see signs of divine intervention focus on the hope of one life saved rather than the mystery of so many lost.

Cedarford said...

"She was found beside the plane. I never thought she would get out like that. It’s the Good Lord who wanted it."...

It appears the score is Allah 1, the forces of darkness or just simple randomness of the universe - 152.

================
In the early 90s, a very religious guy was the sole survivor of a US commuter train crash. His nephew was on our base and he came one day to speak about how Jesus 1st saved his soul, then his life. Spared him to spread the evangelical message, as testified to by his miraculous survival.

He died in a car crash almost 2 years to the day of his aircraft crash. Lingering in intensive care for 4 days. He was on his way to preach to a church flock in an adjoining state.

I guess Jesus thought he had spread enough of the Good Word.

===================

I remember a talk I had in the 90s with a Palestinian engineer who was also a local imam. Who I knew from MBA classes.

About faith and fortune.

He believed that belief in Allah would spare more people in an accident.
My counter was that if you had 4 jets or 4 ships sinking in the ocean..one with nothing but observant Jews, one with nothing but ernest Christians, one with nothing but committed Chi-commie atheists, and one with nothing but devout Muslims on board...randomness would prevail. Same odds.

Methadras said...

Well, Airbus is a joint EU venture between several EU countries, so you can say the EU is doing a fabulous job of keeping their planes in the air? Isn't it going to be great when president barely decides that after he jiffy jams barely-care onto the American people that he will go after our aviation industry because they aren't doing so well either. Now Airbus will get some competition afterall.