Search for survivors of the plane crash.

Upon my arrival home from uni on Monday the 25^th of this month I heard the news that a plane had crashed in our neighboring country Lebanon. A Ethiopian plane that was flying back home carrying 90 people including the staff.

Minutes upon its launch it crashed back down into the sea. Efforts of finding any survivors started right away through the stormy weather and lethal waves. By the next day it was almost certain that there were no survivors since no one was rescued and twenty four hours had passed since the crash, indicating that any oxygen in that plane would have been used up.

To this day only 23 bodies have been found, and families of the victims are grieving. The passengers came mainly from Lebanon, some from Ethiopia, some from the UK and then a few from different countries.

The wife of the French ambassador was one of the passengers, and then there were all these people with heartbreaking stories; one had left a young pregnant wife, and was heading to Ethiopia for one last time to sell his business and return home to Lebanon when he boarded the faithful flight.

The whole story is tragic especially for me, since I live so close to Lebanon, in Cyprus and I am Arabic, plus it happened so soon after the devastating events in Haiti, and made us feel that disasters are waiting for each other in a line, ready to attack.

But then the feature stories started flowing and I heard of the good side, of the people who were lucky enough to avoid that flight. One felt warned by the stormy weather and decided to stay back home, another was begged by his mother to not go on a plane because she had a terrible feeling, those and a few more now feel like they have been reborn, given a new chance at life.

Still my prayers go to all the families who are suffering great loss, and I’m hoping time will make it easier for them.