Phoenix_X
8th Jun 2004, 18:13
From CNN.com:
LIBREVILLE, Gabon -- A small commercial passenger plane has crashed into the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Gabon in West Africa, killing at least 14 of the 30 people aboard, the airline said.
Ten others were rescued and were being treated at a hospital in the capital, Libreville, The Associated Press reported.
The plane, operated by Gabon Express, was heading from Libreville to Franceville in the south of the former French colony when it crashed Tuesday.
A French army helicopter helped to rescue passengers, who were taken to a hospital in the capital Libreville, Reuters reported. Local fishermen were also helping in the rescue effort.
Rescuers saved 10 of the 26 passengers and four crew members aboard, company officials told AP.
Fourteen bodies were recovered by late afternoon, while six people were still missing.
A Western diplomat told Reuters that both African and Western passengers were aboard the plane.
"The tail is sticking up out of the water. It clearly landed in such a way that some people had time to get out before it was submerged," he said by telephone.
The official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the passenger roster indicated several foreign passengers were on board, including at least two Lebanese.
It was not known who was among the rescued, and the cause of the crash was not immediately known.
The craft was a twin-engine propeller plane, AP said.
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According to the German DPA, there were Dutch, German and French sounding names on the passenger list. Wether there were actually any people from these countries on board is unknown, nor is it known who's been rescued.
Edit:
Dutch newssources say the aircraft was an Hawker Siddeley HS-748.
LIBREVILLE, Gabon -- A small commercial passenger plane has crashed into the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Gabon in West Africa, killing at least 14 of the 30 people aboard, the airline said.
Ten others were rescued and were being treated at a hospital in the capital, Libreville, The Associated Press reported.
The plane, operated by Gabon Express, was heading from Libreville to Franceville in the south of the former French colony when it crashed Tuesday.
A French army helicopter helped to rescue passengers, who were taken to a hospital in the capital Libreville, Reuters reported. Local fishermen were also helping in the rescue effort.
Rescuers saved 10 of the 26 passengers and four crew members aboard, company officials told AP.
Fourteen bodies were recovered by late afternoon, while six people were still missing.
A Western diplomat told Reuters that both African and Western passengers were aboard the plane.
"The tail is sticking up out of the water. It clearly landed in such a way that some people had time to get out before it was submerged," he said by telephone.
The official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the passenger roster indicated several foreign passengers were on board, including at least two Lebanese.
It was not known who was among the rescued, and the cause of the crash was not immediately known.
The craft was a twin-engine propeller plane, AP said.
--------
According to the German DPA, there were Dutch, German and French sounding names on the passenger list. Wether there were actually any people from these countries on board is unknown, nor is it known who's been rescued.
Edit:
Dutch newssources say the aircraft was an Hawker Siddeley HS-748.