Two Britons and an Irish citizen were among the victims of a plane crash in Libya that killed 103 people.

The plane operated by the Libyan carrier Afriqiyah Airlines had flown from Johannesburg and crashed short of the runway at Tripoli airport before disintegrating on Wednesday.

A 10-year-old Dutch boy was the sole survivor and is recovering in a Tripoli hospital. He underwent surgery for multiple fractures in both legs, but doctors say he is now out of danger.

There were 93 passengers and 11 crew on the Airbus A330 flight 8U771. The airline said 58 Dutch passengers, six South Africans, two Britons, two Libyans, two Austrians, one German, one French national and one Zimbabwean were on board.

Ireland's Department of Foreign Affairs also confirmed a 42-year-old woman with Irish citizenship was on the passenger list.

A statement on the airline's website said: "Afriqiyah Airways confirms as per the information received from the Libyan authorities the death of the 103 passengers on board flight 8U 771 from Johannesburg to Tripoli 12th May 2010. Only one survived the accident (a Dutch child)."

The Royal Dutch Tourism Board said 61 victims were Dutch, many of them families headed home after spending spring break in South Africa. Campaigning for parliamentary elections in the Netherlands have been suspended as the nation mourns its loss.

Newly-appointed Foreign Secretary William Hague said he was "greatly saddened" at the tragedy.

The Foreign Office said the official Libyan press agency Jana had reported that 96 bodies had been recovered from the crash site.