Ruben van Assouw, survivor of Libya plane crash, set to return home

[*](NL) PZC : Tilburg in rouw om familie Van Assouw
[*](NL) Brabants Dagblad : Tilburg leeft mee met familie Van Assouw
[*](NL) BN DeStem : Was het maar niet waar
[*](EN) BBC : Dutch boy who survived Libya crash is set to fly home

On May 12, 2010, Afriqiyah Airways Flight 771 crashed 900 m short of its runway in Tripoli International Airport, Libya. The pilot reported no problems prior to the incident, and terrorism has been ruled out as a probable cause. Of the 104 persons on board, only nine-year-old Ruben van Assouw survived. He and his family were vacationing in South Africa to celebrate his parents' 12th-and-a-half wedding anniversary. Ruben was found in the debris, taken to a Sabia's Hospital 30 km away, and transferred to a facility in Tripoli to undergo surgery for multiple fractures in both of his legs.

On Friday, Ruben's aunt and uncle explained to him that his mother and father Trudy, Patrick, and older brother eleven-year-old Enzo had not made it. "We have explained to Ruben exactly what happened. He knows his parents and brother are dead. The whole family is going to bear the responsibility for Ruben's future. The time ahead will be a difficult period for us. We hope that the media will respect our privacy," they said.

There are many flowers outside the family home. "I hardly recognised [Ruben] on TV," said a passing woman walking her dog. "He has dark blonde hair, while the television broadcasts yesterday show him having black hair. He was often ouside on the streets. Playing with children nearby. His brother is in the same class as my nephew's."

Ruben's public school closed for a day and held a meeting for attending pupils and their parents following the plane crash. Yore director Elly Sebregts said of the meeting "a very deserving event [considering what's happened]. We have shared the grief. For adults, this is already unbelievable, and the children cannot comprehend it. There is a lot of crying. It's wait and see how we handle it," she continued, "but we will take him with warmth and love. I am convinced that Ruben will find the strength to pull through. We will support him as much as possible."

Ruben has been called a "wonderboy" by the Dutch press. I wonder if, through all this, Ruben thinks the same thing... But whatever the case, I hope he'll get better soon.