Gwladys Laffitte, edited by Ophélie Artaud 2:46 p.m., May 23, 2022

Two weeks ago, the trial of the Yemenia Airways crash, which claimed the lives of 152 people in 2009, opened in the Paris court. Monday morning, Bahia Bakari, the only survivor of this tragedy and now elderly 25, told his story on the stand.

A moving testimony that was eagerly awaited.

An exceptional testimony.

That of Bahia Bakari, the only survivor of the Yemenia Airways crash in 2009. Monday morning, the young woman, now 25, told her story at the bar of the Paris court during the opening of the trial. of this tragedy which claimed the lives of 152 people.

Initially, a plane flight "of the most common"

At the time, Bahia Bakari was only 12 years old.

She was traveling to the Comoros for a wedding with her mother and remembers a plane flight which was "most common" at first.

"As we approach landing, the air hostesses check that everyone is properly strapped in. Turbulence then arises which does not worry anyone."

The young woman remembers having felt a sensation, which she compares to "an electric shock. I feel pulled up, still attached, and afterwards, it's a real black hole. Once in the water, I was no longer attached."

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A "brave" young woman

The girl wakes up in a rough ocean, filled with kerosene.

She then clings to a piece of airplane debris that she will not let go.

She remembers the voices of women calling for help, before the silence.

"I convince myself that everyone has arrived and that I am all alone. That my mother, who also arrived, would not have supported me giving up," says the young woman with incredible strength.

About ten hours later, she was rescued with some physical injuries.

His left eye, collarbone and pelvis are fractured.

His feet are burned.

"But my biggest hurt is the loss of his mother," she says, very moved.

"I flew back two years later, she was buried in the Comoros, so it was important to go back there," concludes Bahia Bakari.

A "brave" young woman, with an "exceptional destiny", underlined in chorus the court and the lawyers for the civil parties.

The Yemenia Airways crash trial continues until June 2.

The company is on trial for manslaughter and manslaughter.