June 30th 2024.
When Bahia Bakari was just 12 years old, she experienced a tragedy that no one should ever have to go through. She was on board Yemenia Flight 626, traveling with her mother to her grandfather's wedding in the Comoros, when the plane crashed into the Indian Ocean. It was a terrifying ordeal that claimed the lives of 153 passengers, including Bahia's mother. But miraculously, Bahia was the sole survivor, earning her the nickname "the miracle girl".
Now, at 27 years old, Bahia is living with the memories of that fateful night when she cheated death. She recalls boarding the Airbus A310 plane, operated by Yemen's flag carrier, and noticing flies and a strong bathroom smell inside. Everything seemed normal until it was time to land. Bahia remembers feeling turbulence, but she didn't think much of it until she felt an electric shock go through her body. And then, it was all a blur.
The next thing she knew, Bahia was floating in the dark ocean, clinging onto debris for dear life. She couldn't swim and the water was rough, but she held on for 13 hours until she was rescued. She remembers hearing voices calling for help in Comorian, but she couldn't see anyone. It wasn't until a rescue boat arrived that she realized she was the only survivor. The full scale of the horror hit her when she arrived at the hospital and learned that she was the only one who made it out alive.
Bahia later testified in a French court about the moments leading up to the crash and her rescue. She described the turbulence and the feeling of an electric shock before everything went black. She also talked about her struggle to stay afloat and her thoughts of her protective mother during those terrifying hours in the water. But even though the court ruled in 2022 that Yemenia was guilty of involuntary manslaughter, Bahia knows that no amount of money can erase the trauma she experienced.
The crash happened just nine miles off the coast of Grande Comore island, a country that declared independence from French rule in 1975. It was determined that the pilots failed to stabilize the plane's altitude during the landing, causing it to stall and crash. The plane, a twin-engine Airbus built in 1990, had been in service for almost 20 years at the time of the accident. The French court ordered Yemenia to pay a fine and compensation to Bahia and the families of 64 French citizens who lost their lives. However, the airline denied responsibility and did not attend the hearing, citing Yemen's civil war.
Despite the tragedy, Bahia has found the strength to move forward. She knows that nothing will ever take away the pain and trauma of that night, but she is grateful to have survived. She hopes that the court's ruling will bring some closure for the families of the victims and serve as a reminder to airlines to prioritize safety above all else. As for Bahia, she will always carry the memory of her mother and the other passengers who lost their lives that night.
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