Mbeki pays respect after crash

2007-05-09 14:02

Johannesburg - South Africa joined millions around the world in mourning the deaths on board the Kenya Airways flight which crashed in Cameroon at the weekend, said President Thabo Mbeki on Wednesday.

Mbeki said: "Today, our nation joins millions around the world in mourning the tragic death of victims of Kenyan Flight KQ 507 who perished on Saturday during the plane crash.

"As the Cameroonian and Kenyan authorities begin the process of retrieving the mortal remains of the victims, we can only imagine the pain and sorrow of the families of these unfortunate victims."

Kenya Airways flight KQ507 crashed with 114 on board, including seven South Africans, shortly after take-off from Douala on Saturday while en route to Nairobi.

The president commended efforts by the Cameroonian and Kenyan authorities for search and rescue operations that led to the location of disaster scene.

He expressed confidence that civil aviation authorities from both countries would investigate "the matter to the fullest" to determine the cause of the accident.

South Africa extended its "heartfelt condolences" to the Cameroonian and Kenyan governments and victims of the crash, including the South African families who had lost loved ones, he said.

Survivors 'unlikely'

Kenya Airways' Johannesburg-based spokesperson Glenn Lewington said "a large portion" of relatives of South Africans onboard would fly from Johannesburg via Nairobi to Douala on Thursday night. The rest would leave on Saturday, he said.

The exact numbers of the relatives were not known at this stage, he said.

On Tuesday, Kenya Airways spokesperson Michael Okwiri said in a statement from Nairobi that the airline's CE Titus Naikuni was at the crash site in Douala in Cameroon and "has confirmed that the remains of 29 passengers were recovered last night (Monday)".

Okwiri said: "At this time, it seems unlikely that there are any survivors.

"It appears the aircraft broke up on impact."

- SAPA