Publication : Sunday 30th - 17H30 UTC
An aircraft wreck close to Africa's fabled Mountains of the Moon is believed to be the South African chartered plane that went missing on Friday.
While the South African Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) confirmed on Sunday that the wreck was that of the aircraft, the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) said this could not yet be confirmed.
The aircraft had been chartered by the WPF.
Phindiwe Gwebu, spokesperson for the CAA said the plane, a Cessna Caravan light plane carrying two crew members and a passenger, was found on the Ugandan side of the mountains, also known as the Rwenzori massif, at 8.45am.
CAA wants to investigate the crash
"The plane has been identified and the Ugandan authorities are still trying to get access to the plane in order to ascertain if there are any survivors," said Gwebu.
Earlier reports that the bodies had been found appeared to have been the result of miscommunication between civil aviation authorities in South Africa and Uganda
She said Ugandan inspectors had spotted the aircraft and confirmed that it was the South African-registered Cessna. All three people on-board were South Africans. (actually 2 SA and 1 French/Canadian)
Gwebu also said the CAA would request for permission from their counterparts in Uganda to investigate the crash.
Contact with the plane, chartered by the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP), was lost on Friday after it had taken off from Goma in the eastern DRC flying to Bunia.
'No signs of the bodies'
The Rwenzori massif falls in both the DRC and Uganda.
Earlier on Saturday, WFP spokesperson Peter Smerdon said from Nairobi, Kenya, that a wreckage was sighted on the mountains' Margherita peak, the third highest summit in Africa at 5 109m above sea level.
WFP spokesperson for Southern Africa, Mike Huggins disputed the wreckage has been identified as the missing South African plane.
"There is nothing indicating that the wreckage is that of the plane. We have not been able to land there and there are no signs of the bodies," said Huggins.
He also said the search for the missing plane, co-ordinated by the UN Mission in the DRC (MONUC), would continue until a confirmation was made.
The plane crashed only a day after South African pilots Andre Nel and Charles Greyvenstein died when the plane they were flying crashed on approach to Amisi in the DRC.
Six Congolese, two air crew and four passengers were also killed in the crash.
Gwebu said the CAA had also sought permission to travel to the DRC to investigate the crash but no response has been received from the authorities there.
The Pretoria News On Saturday quoted unnamed sources as saying the possibility that the plane was shot down was being investigated.
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Last edited by BE02; 30th Apr 2006 at 20:48.