Repatriation of plane crash victims begins

The repatriation of bodies of five Mozambicans who were among six people killed in a plane crash in Vumba on Monday morning began yesterday in Mutare.

Among the killed were four directors of Beira-headquartered Green Motor Services (GMS).

A Zimbabwean, Mr Banele Sibanda, who was finance and accounts manager of Cornelder de Mozambique, a sister company of GMS based in Mutare was among the six people killed.

The eight-seater plane crashed into the Vumba mountains around 8am on the Zimbabwean side on Monday, while heading for Mutare where the victims were due to hold a board meeting.

Witnesses attributed the crash to bad weather since it was misty at the time of the crash.

According to ZBC News, family members and workmates from GMS and Cornelder de Mozambique went to Mutare Provincial Hospital to identify the bodies.

Adelino DeJesus Mesquita (managing director), Isaac Noor (finance director), Antonio Jeorge Ucucho (legal advisor), together with crew members, Captain Rui Fonseca Tereira Do-Santos, who was being assisted by his son, Adelino De-Lopus Dos-Santos, were aboard the Mozambican registered Air Transport Company plane, Islander BN-2A-300, Registration Number C9-AOV, when tragedy struck.

The pilot and co-pilot are expected to be buried in Maputo, while the other three are to be buried in Beira.

The body of Mr Sibanda was taken to Harare.

GMS Mutare Dry Port general manager, Mr Lawrence Takawira, who was waiting to pick up the directors expressed shock and said the GMS family had been robbed of figure heads who were driving the organisation.

He said the four were due to attend a board meeting at the Mutare company.

The commercial manager for Cornelder de Mozambique Jan de Vries commended the Zimbabwean and Mozambican Governments for the support rendered, and saluted the army for searching and airlifting the bodies from the mountainous Zohwe area.

The wreckage is yet to be removed from the mountain as investigations are still in progress, but according to information from villagers, the pilot could have lost visibility due to the misty conditions prevailing at the time of the crash.

Green Motor Services runs the Mutare Dry Port, which is involved in the clearing of goods from the Port of Beira in Mozambique.