- Title: UGANDA: Eleven feared dead in Ugandan plane crash
- Date: 10th March 2009
- Summary: LAKE VICTORIA, UGANDA , MARCH 9, 2009 (REUTERS) BOATS HEADING TO SITE OF CRASH VARIOUS OF RESCUE TEAMS AROUND THE SCENE OF PLANE CRASH (SOUNDBITE) (English) UGANDA MINISTER OF INFORMATION KABAKUMBA MATSIKO SAYING: "As we talk now we have not rescued anybody alive, we have not seen any bodies yet, so the rescue mission is still on going, we hope may be will rescue some people but time is really working against us." VARIOUS OF RESCUE TEAMS IN BOATS AROUND THE CRASH SITE (SOUNDBITE) (English) UGANDA MINISTER OF INFORMATION KABAKUMBA MATSIKO SAYING: "Before the plane come down, a smoke was seen and some kind of fire and then immediately the plane came down, are you ruling out terrorism I am not ruling out anything and we are not concluding anything. So the investigation team that is being set up will look at all this theories and possibilities and you know any thing is possible and as Uganda we are prepared to look at all options and all possibilities." PLANE WRECKAGE FLOATING ON WATER VARIOUS PILES OF WRECKAGE ON THE SHORE
- Embargoed: 25th March 2009 12:00
- Keywords:
- Location: Uganda
- Country: Uganda
- Topics: Disasters / Accidents / Natural catastrophes
- Reuters ID: LVA32717UDMBL2DREP6PC6UV295D
- Story Text: Ugandan authorities continue searching for survivors after a plane crashes into Lake Victoria An Antonov cargo plane en route to Somalia crashed into Lake Victoria on Monday (March 09) after taking off from Uganda's main airport with 11 people on board, including three Burundian military officers.
"As we talk now we have not rescued anybody alive, we have not seen any bodies yet, so the rescue mission is still on going, we hope may be will rescue some people but time is really working against us," Uganda Minister of Information Kabakumba Matsiko said.
An unnamed Civil Aviation Authority official said there were four crew and seven others on board the aircraft when it crashed.
A Burundi army spokesman confirmed three of its soldiers -- a brigadier general, a colonel and a captain -- were on board the aircraft.
Kabakumba added the investigators were not yet drawing any conclusions as to the cause of the crash.
"Before the plane come down, smoke was seen and some kind of fire and then immediately the plane came down, are you ruling out terrorism I am not ruling out anything and we are not concluding anything," Kabakumba added.
Russian media said the pilot and co-pilot were Russian citizens and the navigator and flight engineer were Ukrainians. All four were killed in the crash.
An Ugandan army official said the chartered aircraft was flying to Somalia and was carrying one Ugandan soldier as well as food supplies. Kampala and Bujumbura both contribute soldiers to a small African Union peacekeeping mission in Mogadishu.
Africa's air accident rate is six times worse than the rest of the world, the International Air Transport Association says. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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