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 Tuesday.
The crash occurred 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.
PTI
