Wednesday, January 18, 2006

Plane Crash Kills 103 Students

Plane Crash Kills Students from Loyola Jesuit College in Nigeria

Brussel, 14 December 2005 - A plane carrying 110 passengers, including many students from Loyola Jesuit College in Abuja, Nigeria, crashed December 10 in the country’s main oil city, Port Harcourt, killing all but seven of them. About 75 of the passengers were Loyola school children on their way home for Christmas break.

Approximately a dozen of them got off the plane in Enugu, prior to the crash. The Sosoliso Airlines flight on its way from the capital, Abuja, crashed during a storm and burst into flames at the airport. Frank O’Connor, SJ, has been working as associate school chaplain at Loyola since the beginning of this academic year. Peter Schineller, SJ, (NYK) is the school president and Marc Roselli, SJ, (NYK) is the principal. Fr O’Connor wrote, “While we still don’t have clear nor complete information about the plane crash yesterday, there were about 75 of our students on the plane. Whether any were among the seven reported survivors, we don’t know. Thanks for the prayers for the victims, their families and all here at Loyola Jesuit College at this difficult time.”

Jerry Aman, SJ, socius of the Northwest Africa Province wrote that, “Marc Roselli and George Quickley (provincial) hope to go to Port Harcourt on Monday and begin the difficult process of trying to console the families. Please remember the souls of these children in your prayers, and remember the grief-stricken families who have so much pain to try to process at this time.”

Source: Electronic Maryland Province News

Posted by Arun D'Souza SJ

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