Eight killed in Botswana plane crash

October 18, 2011 01:56 am | Updated 01:56 am IST - Gaborone (Botswana)

A light aircraft crashed after takeoff and burst into flames in Botswana, killing the British pilot and seven tourists from France, Sweden and Britain, a Botswana official said on Monday.

The crash occurred on Friday in the southern African nation’s Okavango Delta, Civil Aviation Authority spokesman Modipe Nkwe said. He said that two French tourists and two Botswana citizens survived.

The chartered Cessna 208 was operated by local company Moremi Air. It crashed shortly after takeoff from Xakanaka airfield in northern Botswana. It was headed for Pom Pom, a camp site in the delta that is famous for its birds and wildlife, including elephants.

Nkwe told The Associated Press that the British pilot died along with seven tourists another British man, three French women and three Swedes two women and a man.

Britain’s Foreign Office confirmed that two British nationals had died in the crash. It said that next of kin have been informed and provided with consular assistance, but declined to give further details.

The survivors were airlifted Friday for medical care to Johannesburg in neighbouring South Africa, Nkwe said, adding that the Ministry of Transport is investigating the accident.

0 / 0
Sign in to unlock member-only benefits!
  • Access 10 free stories every month
  • Save stories to read later
  • Access to comment on every story
  • Sign-up/manage your newsletter subscriptions with a single click
  • Get notified by email for early access to discounts & offers on our products
Sign in

Comments

Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide by our community guidelines for posting your comments.

We have migrated to a new commenting platform. If you are already a registered user of The Hindu and logged in, you may continue to engage with our articles. If you do not have an account please register and login to post comments. Users can access their older comments by logging into their accounts on Vuukle.