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Deadly Namibia plane crash

November 30, 2013

A Mozambique Airlines flight has crashed in northeast Namibia, killing all 33 people on board. The wreckage of the plane, which went missing on Friday, was found on Saturday in a game park.

https://p.dw.com/p/1AQwm
Map showing Mozambique, Namibia and Angola.

The burned-out wreckage of the plance was found in the Bwabwata National Park, near the borders with Angola and Botswana, according to police.

"The plane has been completely burnt to ashes and there are no survivors," Namibian Police Force Deputy Commissioner Willy Bampton told Reuters news agency.

Namibian police were informed by Botswanan officials that smoke was seen and explosions heard near the countries' common border on Friday afternoon.

The Mozambique Airlines (LAM) flight TM 479 was bound for the Angolan capital, Luanda, after setting off from Maputo in Mozambique.

The airline said in a statement that the plane lost contact with air traffic controllers on Friday afternoon.

In a later statement, LAM also revised the passenger list to number 27, rather than the 28 reported earlier, along with six crew members. It said the 33 included 10 Mozambicans, nine Angolans, five Portuguese, one French national, one Brazilian and one Chinese.

Like all airlines in Mozambique, LAM is banned from flying in European Union airspace as it does not comply with EU safety standards.

tj/jr (Reuters, dpa)