Seven tourists die in plane crash

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MAUN: A dark cloud descended on the country's tourism industry as seven European tourists and their pilot died when a 15-seater Moremi Air Charters caravan aircraft caught fire after a failed take-off in the Okavango Delta on Friday.

According to the press release from the Civil Aviation Authority of Botswana (CAAB) released on Friday, there were 11 passengers on board but the records show that there were actually 12 passengers.

The Cessna 208 caravan aircraft registered a2-AKD crashed soon after taking off and caught fire at Xakanaka airstrip on its way to Pom Pom in the delta. Six tourists and the pilot were burnt beyond recognition, while another tourist who apparently tried to escape by jumping from the aircraft mid air died at the Maun airport after suffering severe injuries. Letsholathebe Hospital superintendent, Dr Maxwell Mungisi, said the bodies of the deceased - four Swedish, two British, and two French nationals - were burned beyond recognition. He said only DNA tests can identify the deceased. He said the bodies are currently in the hospital mortuary awaiting forensic examinations.

Editor's Comment
Routine child vaccination imperative

The recent Vaccination Day in Motokwe, orchestrated through collaborative efforts between UNICEF, USAID, BRCS, and the Ministry of Health, underscores a commendable stride towards fortifying child health services.The painful reality as reflected by the Ministry of Health's data regarding the decline in routine immunisation coverage since the onset of the pandemic, is a cause for concern.It underscores the urgent need to address the...

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