Crash jet mother and son had county links

A former Shropshire schoolboy and his mother are believed to have been on board the Air France jet which crashed into the Atlantic, it emerged today.

A family friend of Rita Szarvash and her son Andrey, who are Hungarian nationals, today said she had been told the pair were on board the doomed flight on May 31.

A flight list issued by Air France has listed Mrs Szarvash and an unidentified son as being on board.

Sasha Griffiths, who used to live next door to the Szarvashes in Ludlow, today said Andrey was a pupil at Ludlow Infants School for about two years.They lived in the flat next door to Mrs Griffiths and her son Marcus and she often looked after the boys together. They had moved back to Hungary last year but regularly visited the town. She said they were praying for news.

Mrs Griffiths said: "It's a shock for Marcus because I used to take them both to school, they were like brothers.

"Marcus and Andrey were very close.

"Rita had to be at work before 8am sometimes so she would drop him off for breakfast. She did a part time course at Wolverhampton University and some times she would come in late so I put them both to bed."

Rita Szarvash worked at the Megan Baker House between Ludlow and Leominster, a private centre for children with disabilities, said Mrs Griffiths.

She had worked in Brazil previously and often went back there to give training on working with disabled children.

Today Val Matthews, headteacher at Ludlow Infant School, today said they had been told the news on Tuesday and she said Andrey was a lovely and popular boy.