3 French, 3 Swiss, 2 Britons die in Botswana plane crash

Three French, three Swiss and two Britons were killed in an airplane accident in Botswana’s Okavango delta in the northern tourist area on Friday, diplomatic sources said Tuesday.

The small aircraft crashed shortly after take-off from the island of Pom Pom, a luxurious safari destination in the north.

Botswana’s aviation authority on Monday had given a different nationalities for the victims, citing four Swedish, two French and two Britons.

Besides seven tourists, the British pilot of the Cessna 208 which belonged to the Moremi Moremi Air Charters also died.

Seven people were burnt alive behind recognition while an eighth died from wounds after jumping from the plane, according to weekly newspaper The Monitor.

Four passengers survived the crash. Two Botswana nationals escaped with light injuries and pulled to safety two French passengers, who were airlifted to the Johannesburg in South Africa.

A French woman returned to France on Sunday, while a French man was still in hospital in Johannesburg.

He had 35% burns on his hands but “is doing well,” a nurse told AFP on Tuesday. The man’s wife died in the accident, according to a diplomatic source.

The Botswana civil aviation authority has opened an inquiry.

Botswana’s Okavango Delta is a UNESCO world heritage site and high-end tourist destination, popular with foreign visitors.