Families welcome guilty verdict over Mali crash that killed 116

The families of victims of the 2014 Air Algérie crash in Mali have welcomed a guilty verdict against Spanish airline Swiftair. Sandrine Tricot, whose husband Frederic Tricot died in the plane crash, expressed relief at finally receiving a verdict after four and a half years of waiting. The French court fined Swiftair €225,000, the maximum penalty, for the crash that killed 116 people on board flight AH5017 from Burkina Faso to Algeria.

The airline's defence rejected the French investigation, calling it "a botched job." Swiftair has 10 days to appeal the ruling. The court determined that negligence in Swiftair's training played a significant role in the accident. The McDonnell Douglas MD-83, operated by Swiftair on behalf of Air Algérie, crashed in northern Mali during a storm in the Sahel region on July 24, 2014.

The crash resulted in the deaths of 54 French citizens, 23 Burkinabè nationals, and six Spanish crew members, among others. The trial, which began in March, lasted for four weeks and marked the culmination of a 12-year legal process. Tricot and other family members, including Nathalie Police, who lost her father and nephew, attended the trial and expressed relief at the verdict.

They emphasized that the amount of money was not their primary concern, stating that justice had finally been delivered. Tricot, who heads the French national federation for victims of terrorist attacks and collective accidents, noted the difficulty in coordinating with families in Algeria and Burkina Faso but hoped the ruling would provide some closure.

The convicted airline will also be responsible for covering legal costs, which could surpass the €225,000 fine.