Botswana: Small Plane Crash

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Nando Times

Five killed when plane crashes in Botswana

The Associated Press

MAUN, Botswana (May 2, 2001 9:44 a.m. EDT) - A light aircraft being used to spot game for tourists crashed Tuesday evening in northwestern Botswana, killing all five people on board, authorities said Wednesday.

The Cessna 206 crashed shortly before it was to land at the airport in the town of Maun, on the edge of the Botswana's Okavango Delta, said Tsegaye Meshesha, director of Botswana's civil aviation department.

Three passengers were from New Zealand and one was from Australia, while the pilot was South African, he said. The passengers, whose identities were not disclosed, all were thought to be tourists who had chartered the plane from a private company.

The delta is a popular tourist attraction for wildlife enthusiasts.

The cause of the crash was still being investigated, Meshesha said.

A helicopter was used to ferry the bodies from the crash site to the Maun airport about 13 miles away.

-- Rachel Gibson (rgibson@hotmail.com), May 02, 2001


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