The nine-year-old Dutch boy who was the sole survivor of Wednesday's Libyan plane crash had a bittersweet reunion with some of his family members on Thursday.

Ruben Van Assouw's aunt and uncle visited him in the hospital. His doctors said he immediately recognized them and smiled when they came into his hospital room. They came to take him home to the Netherlands.

The boy was the only passenger to be pulled alive from the wreckage. His mother, father and brother were all killed in the crash. The family was returning home to Holland after going on a safari in South Africa.

Van Assouw suffered two broken legs, but his doctors expect a full recovery.