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FIRST PICTURE: 11-year-old British boy in jet crash
Danny Brierley and Kiran Randhawa4 Jun 2009
This is the 11-year-old British boy who was on the Air France flight that vanished over the Atlantic Ocean.
Alexander Bjoroy, a boarder at Clifton College school in Bristol, was visiting his parents Jane and Robin in Brazil for half-term before returning to Britain on Sunday. They said today: “We confirm with deep sadness that our son Alexander was amongst the passengers. Naturally we are deeply upset about the loss of our son under such tragic circumstances.”
Meanwhile the Standard can reveal that the London dentist who died in the Air France disaster had been in Brazil introducing his girlfriend to his parents.
Brazilian Dr Jose Souza, 35, was with financial analyst Isis Pinet, 28, when the plane vanished over the Atlantic.
A close friend said the couple, who lived together in Earl's Court, may have married while in Brazil as an “Isis Souza” was listed among the 228 passengers and crew who boarded Flight AF447 in Rio de Janeiro on Sunday night.
The plane was bound for Paris, where Miss Pinet's parents live.
The couple were introduced by Sophie Regnier, a friend of Dr Souza's who was sharing a flat with Sorbonne graduate Miss Pinet.
She told how the couple fell in love after meeting at a nightclub and spent five years together. “They were madly in love. It was love at first sight and they have been a great couple ever since.”
Dr Souza, known to his friends by his middle name of Rommel, worked as an orthodontist in Reading and was a member of the London Surf Club.
Club president Ben Farwagi said: “Rommel was a brilliant surfer, a much-loved member of the club. He would chase waves all over Europe.”
It has also emerged that a former London businessman was on the four-year-old Airbus.
Brad Clemes, 49, an advertising executive for Coca-Cola, had lived in Hammersmith before moving to Brussels with his wife Anne. She and their sons Nathan and Andrew, both in their twenties and one of whom attends Warwick University, are said to be inconsolable. According to colleagues, Canadian-born Mr Clemes, was only on the flight because of a visa problem.
Speaking from Ontario, his mother Norene said: “He's one of these people that never sits still, go-go-go. He wanted to live in Europe to have his two sons grow up and know the whole world.”
A three-mile trail of debris, including seats, an orange lifebuoy, metal and an oil slick, has been found close to the Airbus's last known location, 410 miles north of the Brazilian island of Fernando de Noronha.
Investigators are racing to recover two black box flight recorders which will emit location signals for 30 days only.
The last contact from the jet revealed the plane had suffered an electrical system failure and loss of cabin pressure.
The five British victims include engineer Arthur Coakley, 61, PR executive Neil Warrior, 49, oil worker Graham Gardner, 52, and Alexander Bjoroy, 11. Alexander's parents Robin and Janes said: “We confirm with deep sadness that our son Alexander who was approaching his 12th birthday was amongst the passengers on Air France Flight 447. We are deeply upset about the loss of our son under such tragic circumstances.”
Love at first sight: Dr Jose Souza and his girlfriend Isis Pinet, who lived together in Earl's Court, enjoy a day out at Ascot races
Reader views (13)
if a two enginned plane crashed ove land you would still have low odds of surving it or ot being seriousy injured. maybe they should be phased out altogether.
- Steve, cambridge, 11/08/2009 08:47
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I feel horrible for those families who have lost loved ones. It is truly the most horrible thing that could happen to a family. For The Dr.and Isis. I hope they were married and the fact that they loved each other so much and were together when the end was near had to be comforting. (as it could be) But I have to say this. Shame on the family who sent an 11 year old child to boarding school! I think that is horrible. And to think that poor child died by himself without his mommy and daddy with him is the most excruciating thing I can think of. I guess it is more common in Europe to send children off to school. But that is way too young. I can only imagine how afraid little Alexander was.
To the parents of Alexander I feel for you and your loss. On the other hand, You will live with the fact that you were not with your child in his time of need.
- Amanda Taylor, Atlanta, Georgia US, 25/06/2009 02:58
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I'm with you, Lewis: how DARE Phil have views on air safety! And as you rhetorically asked him "Do you have views on car accidents too? The Tube? Trains? Safety on fairground rides? DIY tips to give us? Do you comment on the reasons for the deaths of approx 3500 people per day on the world's roads?"
Perhaps, Lewis, you believe we all ought to have qualifications before we venture an opinion about anything! ...Ever heard about something called "common sense"? Of course, you either have it or you don't. Phil's observation that a four-engined plane increases the safety margin, which is a particular consideration for long flights over water, would seem to fall into the aforementioned "common sense" category to me.
BTW, for something completely different: the more I read about this incident, the fewer, it seems, that any of the "British" passengers WERE in fact British in anything other than the technical sense! Maybe something to consider when/if you vote today.
- Croyboy, Croydon, 04/06/2009 08:03
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Rupert - you are dreaming. Please give us the source for your comments. I know of no airline that continually transmits FDR data from its aircraft to either ATC, or their own bases.
Prove it, or shut it.
- Trunk, US, 04/06/2009 04:27
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This is a tragic loss of life.
- Lewis, London
Get out of the wrong side of the bed did we?
- Frank, Home Counties, England., 03/06/2009 14:51
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Not sure why Air France say they need a black box. The reality is that modern aircraft send out an electronic transmission constantly so that Air Traffic Control will have an electronic record of all the systems on the aircraft right up to moment of impact so the reality is they probably know exactly what caused the failure & planes exact location. They probably don't want to admit what caused the crash partly due to public relations, partly becuase they don't want the Air France brand damaged nor do they want to open themselves up for untold compensation damages hence the need to spin a story that black box will never be found.
- Rupert, London, 03/06/2009 14:19
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Woo didn't mean to ruffle your feathers so badly Rmb and Phil -so genuine apologies if I did. I was neither attacking nor putting down, just questioning. All I meant was that some of the comments seem scare-mongering and it's unhelpful in view of the paucity of facts. I don't work for an airline-related company.
Of course it's tragic, don't know how anyone could think otherwise but I do wonder why the media - and readers (me included of course) love to focus our attentions on the airline industry (and gloom and doom in general). And yes, I do have a personal interest as I only recently started flying again after 9 years of refusing to do it.
All I'm really saying is 'one million passengers landed safely today' doesn't make headlines and I wish it would. All I meant with Phil was - surely the safe landing on your flight was the thing to highlight? Why do we always highlight the negative? And I do include myself in the latter tendency!
Anyway, sorry for any unintended offence.
- Lewis, London, 03/06/2009 13:56
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Lewis,
I also agree with Phil. Passenger safety must come first. Yesterday there was a similar, but survived, emergency on an AF447 reported by Quanta.
- Antonia H, Newcastle, 03/06/2009 13:44
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Do we really need to know these details? This is a sad story, but when we get to the level of personal specifics and how one traveller should have been on an earlier flight etc. it all comes a bit too close to morbid entertainment for my comfort...
- Alan, London, 03/06/2009 13:02
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Thanks, Lewis. I'm no aviation expert, though qualified as a private pilot. No use attacking me for simply expressing my view that all planes crossing large bodies of water should have more than two engines -- a view no doubt held by a great number of others. I'd much rather board a 747 than a 757. My comment wasn't in any way a view that more than two engines would have helped the poor souls on the Rio-Paris flight --- rather just a comment on trans-oceanic commercial flight. Sorry if for some reason my comments offended you. What airline do you work for?
- Phil Jones, London UK, 03/06/2009 13:00
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Lewis, London - why are you putting down Phil's opinions?
Do YOU work for Air France PR, or the Aviation Industry?
The is a tragic accident, and until the Black box is recovered we can only speculate on what may have occured. We are all entitled to do that, regardless of our professions.
My sincere condolences for the families that have lost loved ones.
- Smb, London, UK, 03/06/2009 12:48
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Thanks Phil. Are you a pilot? Or an aviation expert? I don't mean to be rude but your views on twin engines would imply that you are neither. Do you have views on car accidents too? The Tube? Trains? Safety on fairground rides? DIY tips to give us? Do you comment on the reasons for the deaths of approx 3500 people per day on the world's roads? You say you 'believe that this scenario is repeated many more times than airlines admit' - do you have proof for this? What are your views on safety in the Eurotunnel?
Surely the point to highlight about your no doubt extremely unpleasant experience is that you landed safely? Amazing. Air travel is far and away the safest form of transport in the world and all this uninformed speculation about AF447 does no one any favours. And be aware that once they do find out what happened the aviation industry will make all the changes necessary to whatever caused the crash, regardless of cost. However, at the moment we have no idea why this happened. For all we know it could have been a bomb. So why do we get so hysterical and all-'knowing' about air crashes? Sure doesn't help me - an ex-nervous flyer! In any case the only people I'll be listening to are the experts.
- Lewis, London, 03/06/2009 12:07
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Last August I was flying the Atlantic on a two-engine Boeing plane, when one engine gave out midway -- and the plane limped back to N America at low speed. It happened about midnight. When an engine goes, regulations require the plane to head to the nearest airport, in this case Gander, Nfld. Three hours of glancing at my watch and listening to the drone of the remaining engine -- the only thing separating hundreds of us from sure-death in the Atlantic. I believe that this scenario is repeated many more times than airlines admit. Sometime the odds will come up for the second engine to also go. I have always believed that two-engined planes should not be used on commercial flights over oceans.
- Phil Jones, London UK, 03/06/2009 10:29
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