Eight Killed In Botswana Plane Crash
A Cessna 208 aircraft burst into flames shortly after takeoff Friday, killing seven European tourists and the British pilot, Botswana officials confirmed Monday.
Of the seven passenger victims were three French women, a British man, and three Swedes – two women and one man. Civil Aviation Authority spokesman Modipe Nkwe said only two French tourists and two Botswana nationals on board the plane survived the crash.
The four survivors were airlifted immediately to Johannesburg in neighboring South Africa for medical care. France’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement that one French passenger remains hospitalized in Johannesburg with burns, while the other has returned home.
The Moremi Air charter flight was headed for famed safari destination Pom Pom, but crashed almost immediately after departing from the Xakanaxa airfield in northern Botswana.
Civil Aviation Authority officials have not yet to determine the cause of the accident. An investigation led by Botswana’s transport ministry is currently underway, according to Nkwe.
