Plane crashes in Namibian national park, 33 dead

A Mozambique Airlines plane crashed in a remote border area, killing all on board

A Mozambique Airlines plane carrying 33 people crashed in a remote border area, killing all on board.

The plane crashed in a Namibian national park near the border with Angola and there were no survivors, said Namibian deputypolice commissioner Bollen Sankwasa. An investigation of thecause was underway.

The plane was carrying 27 passengers, including 10 Mozambicans, nine Angolans, five Portuguese, and one citizen each from France, Brazil and China, said the airline. Six crew members were on board.

Flight TM470 from Maputo, the Mozambican capital, did not land as scheduled in Luanda, the Angolan capital, on Friday afternoon, and the airline initially said the plane might have landed in Rundu, in northern Namibia. It said it coordinated with aviation authorities in Namibia, Botswana and Angola to locate the
missing plane.

A Namibian police helicopter joined officers on the ground in the search. The area is vast and there are no roads, making it difficult to locate the plane, said police official Willy Bampton.

Airlines from Mozambique are among carriers banned in the European Union because of safety concerns.u00a0

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