The young Dutch boy was taken to a hospital in Tripoli and was undergoing surgery for his injuries, the Dutch Foreign Ministry said.

Libyan TV showed video of a dark-haired boy lying in a hospital bed with a bandage around his head and an oxygen mask over his face. He had intravenous lines into one arm and appeared to be conscious. A nurse and a doctor were attending to him.

An unnamed doctor, speaking in Arabic in the video, said the boy "has several breaks in both legs and is under intensive care but is stable." "The entire medical team are doing their best to assist in this tragedy," he said.

An embassy official planned to visit the boy in hospital later Wednesday, said Foreign Ministry spokesman Ad Meijer.

He said officials were still trying to verify the boy's identity.

Libyan authorities said 96 bodies had been recovered from the wreckage at the airport outside the Libyan capital of Tripoli.

Prime Minister Jan Peter Balkenende confirmed that the boy was only known survivor but had no further details. The Royal Dutch Tourism Board ANWB released the figure of 61 Dutch dead on its website.

"This is a large group of Dutch nationals after all, so it's a deeply sad message we have this day," Balkenende said, registering his "shock." Many of the Dutch victims were booked through two travel agencies. Johannesburg is a popular tourist destination and the flight came when many Dutch schools were closed for the annual spring break.

Annelies Tichelaar, a spokeswoman for the Dutch tourism, said Tripoli was a refueling stop for a flight from Johannesburg to Brussels, with some passengers booked to continue to Duesseldorf, Germany.

Families of the victims were gathering in Brussels and Duesseldorf, she said. The tourism board was making preparations to help repatriate the victims.

The Dutch government published telephone numbers for family and friends to call, but a list of passengers was not yet available.

Dutch Foreign Minister Maxime Verhagen said he had been previously unaware of Afriqiyah Airways.

"I don't know it," he said. "It's a company that offers cheap trips." The Belgian Foreign Ministry said no Belgians were on board the flight, although South African officials said 32 passengers on the flight were headed to Brussels.