Mozambique hails Zimbabwe on plane crash response

The director of transport in Manica Province of Mozambique, Ms Maria Da-Imaculada Gabriel, has hailed the Zimbabwean Government and Zimbabwe National Army for their swift response in retrieving bodies of the six people who died in a plane crash in Vumba on Monday.

In an interview after meeting Minister of State for Manicaland Provincial Affairs Mandi Chimene yesterday where the repatriation process of the late five Mozambican nationals was discussed, she said Mozambique was grateful to the people of Zimbabwe.

"The crash happened on the Zimbabwean side and we want to hail the swiftness of the Air Force of Zimbabwe and other security agents in attending to the scene," she said.

"I managed to get to the scene and it was not easy to reach the place. We do not know how we would have managed to retrieve the bodies without the assistance of the Air Force of Zimbabwe.

"This crash was least expected and as we speak, our civil aviation experts are on their way to Zimbabwe to assist their counterparts in investigating the causes of the crash."

Three of the bodies were repatriated to Beira by road after Minister Chimene signed the repatriation orders.

The three bodies were of the directors of Beira-headquartered Green Motor Services, which is a sister company of Cornelder de Mozambique - Mr Adelino DeJesus Fortes Mesquita (managing director), Mr Isac Noor (finance director) and Mr Antonio Jeorge Ucucho (legal advisor).

The bodies of the pilot, Mr Lopes Luis Dos Santos and his son, Mr Rui Fonseca Pereira Dos Santos, were taken to Harare enroute to Maputo.

The sixth victim's body, Mr Banele Sibanda, a Zimbabwean who was Cornelder's finance and administration manager, was taken to Harare and is expected to be buried at Glen Forest Memorial Park today.

A memorial service for the victims was done at Doves Funeral Parlour in Mutare and was presided over by Roman Catholic priest Father Tapiwa Abraham Muchenagumbo.

Doves Holdings chief executive Dr Talent Maziwisa said: "We are the funeral home which carried out the job of making sure the deceased persons were properly prepared and reconstructed back to their original self.

"Three of the air crash victims are already on their way back home and the remaining two will be repatriated back to Maputo by air on Friday morning. It has been a great honour working with the families and the Government of Mozambique."

Speaking at the memorial service, Chimene said the crash was a shocker.

"We are joining our Mozambican counterparts in mourning their brothers who perished in this air disaster," she said. "This crash reminds us on the importance of always saying goodbye to our loved ones each time we go out. We do not know the destiny of our lives. We should try to do good things every time."

A family representative, Mr Jan de Vries, who is also Cornelder's commercial manager, expressed appreciation for the assistance they received from Zimbabwe.