Plane missing in Mpumalanga
2008-10-05 22:06
Nelspruit - A plane with nine people on board has gone missing in Mpumalanga.
A huge search-and-rescue operation has been launched in the mountainous area near Barberton.
Bad weather and thick mist are hampering the search.
The plane is believed to be a twin-engine Britten-Norman Islander.
A farmer in the Barberton valley, Mike van Schalkwyk, said on Sunday he had heard a plane flying low over his house. Shortly after that, he heard an explosion.
The plane had taken off from Nelspruit's Kruger Mpumalanga International Airport (KMIA) at 14:00, headed for Bloemfontein. The aircraft disappeared off the radar a short while later.
It is believed the plane may have crashed into Tafelkop, a mountain near Barberton.
Rowan Torr, KMIA's operations manager, confirmned that a search was under way.
He said a military Oryx helicopter from Hoedspruit was taking part in the search by police and members of the Air Mercy Services in Nelspruit.
A team of Sasar mountaineers would be joining the search on Monday morning, Torr said.