Ivory Coast scientist killed in Kenya Airways plane crash

Kochi, May 9 (UNI) A lady scientist from Ivory Coast, who was supposed to attend the International Coconut Summit here, had died in the Kenya Airways plane crash which killed all 114 people on board.

Talking to reporters here today, Chairman of the Organising Committee of the Summit K I Vasu said, ''we got confirmation from Ivory Coast today that Dr Alice N' Goran was aboard the ill-fated aircraft bound for Nairobi and had perished in the accident.'' He said Dr Alice, Head of Coconut Research at the National Centre for Agronomic Research in Ivory Coast, was supposed to reach here on Monday to attend the summit and present a paper on 'Effects of the Acacia prunings on the growth and nutrition of the Palm trees'.

Dr Vasu said a condolence meeting was convened today at the summit to mourn the tragic death of Dr Alice.

He said her paper would be presented in the summit in absentia.

Dr Alice boarded the plane at Abidjan and was travelling to Nairobi to catch the connecting flight to Mumbai for the onward journey to Kochi, he added.

The Kenya Airways passenger plane with 114 people on board including 15 Indians crashed in a densely forested area of South Cameroon shortly after takeoff on May five.

UNI