Comoros: a plane carrying 14 people crashes

SANAA, Feb. 27 (YPA) – A plane carrying 14 people crashed in Comoros, the Indian Ocean archipelago on Saturday, and rescuers in the area rushed to search for survivors.

AB Aviation said its small Cessna plane disappeared from radar 2.5 kilometers (1.6 miles) from its destination during its flight between the capital, Moroni, and the city of Fomboni on the island of Moheli.

Meanwhile, the Comorian Ministry of Transport said in a statement that  “search operations have begun to find the wreckage of the plane in the coastal region of Dguizi, which confirms its crash.”

The Comoros government reported that the 12 passengers were from Comoros, and that the pilots were Tanzanians.

The chief police officer, Abdul Qadir Mohamed, said that three speedboats were sent to the estimated crash site, “which allowed us to collect the wreckage of the plane and the things belonging to the passengers.”

He added,  “Tomorrow we will continue the search…as long as we do not find bodies, there is hope,” while the authorities indicated that they had requested help from the neighboring French province of Mayotte.

E.M