Rescuers have found the bodies of three people in the wreckage of a South African-registered plane that crashed in Uganda last week, the World Food Programme (WFP) said on Friday.
”A rescue team today identified aircraft wreckage high up in Uganda’s Ruwenzori Mountains as the remains of a WFP-chartered light plane missing for a week, and found three bodies at the crash site,” Stephanie Savariaud of the WFP said in a media statement.
On board the single-engined Cessna were the South African pilot, his wife, and the co-pilot, a dual French and Canadian citizen.
The plane lost radio contact on April 28 during a flight in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo. It was travelling from Goma to Bunia.
Rescuers aboard a United Nations search helicopter sighted the wreckage on April 30.
They were unable to land near the crash site, which is at 3 600m.
”The team took three days to reach the crash site on foot because of bad weather and the very difficult terrain,” Savariaud said.
Local guides and park rangers accompanied the team on the gruelling trip into the mountains at the request of the Ugandan Civil Aviation Authority. The WFP and the United Nations mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo were providing logistical support for the team.
An investigation was being set up to determine the cause of the crash.
The Department of Foreign Affairs said arrangements were being made for the bodies of the two South Africans to be repatriated.
”The government extends its condolences to members of the bereaved families whilst extending its gratitude to the Ugandan civil aviation authorities for their assistance provided in the operation,” spokesperson Ronnie Mamoepa said. – Sapa