Chinese bereaved families well treated in France: official

(Xinhua)
Updated: 2009-06-13 14:18

PARIS -- Air France has made appropriate efforts to receive and take care of family members of the Chinese victims, a French official on the air disaster said Friday.

Air France's CEO Pierre-Henri Gourgeon, along with Chinese Ambassador to France Kong Quan, came to airport to greet the Chinese bereaved families, who began to arrive in France from Monday, said Pierre-Jean Vandoorne, newly-appointed special ambassador to oversee relations with the victims' families.

At a regular press conference, Vandoorne, deputy inspector general at the French Foreign Ministry, said he himself was also among those whoreceived the Chinese families at airport.

The French side has organized a working session for the family members, and officials from the French Foreign Ministry and Air France have briefed them on related affairs, Vandoorne said in response to a question from Xinhua.

Each family is accompanied by two employees of Air France in Paris, Vandoorne said, adding that he appreciated the airline's attitude in dealing with the affair.

Vandoorne said the French side had cooperated closely with Brazilian diplomatic institutions in France to gather information for the rescue efforts, and had been updating the victims' families with the latest development.

Vandoorne highly commended the joint operation between France and Brazil, saying that rescue teams and experts from the two sides were carrying out their duties "outstandingly" and the cooperation would continue.

Air France Flight 447, an Airbus A330, vanished over the Atlantic on June 1 after leaving Rio de Janeiro for Paris, with 228 people, including nine Chinese passengers on board. Fifty bodies have so far been recovered.