A charter aircraft has crashed shortly after take-off in Botswana, killing eight people. The plane took off from Xakanaka Airfield in the Okavango Delta on October 14, headed for a luxury safari camp on Pom Pom Island.
Seven tourists and the British pilot were killed, while four survived. Two of the survivors were treated for minor injuries, while the other two have been airlifted to Johannesburg for treatment.
Associated Press reported that the tourists were from the UK, France and Sweden.
In the meantime, Botswana officials have come under fire for taking three days to announce the crash.
The aircraft, a Cessna 208, belonged to private charter company, Moremi Air. The company said in a statement that it had grounded its fleet for the next two days while it “absorbs this tragedy”.
“The accident is under full investigation and we are co-operating with all authorities. We are extremely grateful to all government authorities and the community of Maun who assisted us yesterday. We are lost for words for condolence for the families of the deceased and the pilot’s family,” said Sue Smart, CEO of Moremi Air.
