An Israeli couple going on a European vacation remembered to take
their duty-free shopping and their 18 suitcases, but forgot their
3-year-old daughter at the airport, police said Monday.
The couple and their five children were late for a charter flight to
Paris Sunday and made a mad dash to the gate. In the confusion, their
daughter got lost.
Police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld said a policeman found her
wandering in the duty-free area at Ben-Gurion airport, Israel's
bustling main international air portal. He said the officer alerted
airline staff, but the flight had already taken off.
Israeli media said the parents were an ultra-Orthodox Jewish couple but did not give their names.
Rosenfeld said the parents were unaware they had boarded the
aircraft with only four children instead of five until they were
informed by cabin staff after 40 minutes in the air.
The child, accompanied by an airline staffer, took the next flight to Paris where she was safely reunited with her parents.
Rosenfeld said police would question the couple when they return from vacation, on suspicion of parental negligence.
