Lone crash survivor loses his family

TRIPOLI, Libya (AP) - The Dutch family - mom, dad and two young sons - were headed home from a dream safari in South Africa when their plane plunged to Earth in Libya. Rescuers found a single passenger alive: 9-year-old Ruben, still strapped in his seat.

The sole survivor slept peacefully Thursday, a stuffed orange Tigger tucked under his arm in a hospital room filled with bouquets of flowers. His left eye, forehead and slim torso were marked with bruises and scrapes; his left leg was immobilized in a blue and white cast.

Ruben smiled and spoke briefly to an aunt and uncle who rushed to his bedside from Holland, but has yet to be told his parents and 11-year-old brother are dead.

The child was recovering well after 4 hours of surgery to repair multiple fractures to his legs.

Ruben, his brother Enzo and their parents Trudy and Patrick van Assouw had gone to South Africa during the boys' spring school vacation to celebrate the couple's 12-year wedding anniversary, a Dutch tradition.

In his travel blog, Patrick Van Assouw, wrote about the camping trip that took them through some of the world's most spectacular natural wonders - South Africa's Mac Mac Falls, the Kruger National Park game reserve and across the border into Swaziland and on to Lesotho.