Monday out of the Air France flight #1891 from Istanbul (Turkey) to Paris-Roissy, board staff found in a canvas bag in the cabin accompanying a French passenger, a small Haitian-old girl of one or two years, traveling clandestinely.

What is known about this incredible story is that this passenger tried to board a flight from Turkey when she was denied boarding with the little girl who did not have a Schengen visa required to enter France from a third country. She would therefore "decided to hide the child in a bag to board another flight after buying another ticket."

"Once inside the plane, an Airbus A319, she placed the bag at her feet, hiding the child from view by a blanket. At one moment a passenger in another row of seats saw something move and warned a hostess who then discovered the hidden child who seemed healthy. Following this discovery, the passenger and the child were escorted to the front of the unit where they stayed until landing.

The passenger aged 35, was arrested in Paris-Roissy airport on the arrival. She reportedly said that the little Haitian girl was the subject of an adoption procedure. Wednesday night, the little girl was taken over by an administrator under the supervision of minors in the waiting area of Paris-Roissy airport. Ongoing investigations will try to find the parents of the girl before returning her to Haiti.

An investigation was opened by the prosecutor of Bobigny. Child trafficking, illegal immigration? All hypotheses are possible, to try to understand what prompted a woman to travel with a Haitian baby hidden in hand luggage on an Istanbul-Paris flight operated by Air France.

S/ HaitiLibre