Botswana plane crash kills tourists in Okavango Delta
The Okavango delta is seen from the air outside Jao Luxury Safari Camp on June 18, 2010 in Maun, Botswana. Camps run by Wilderness Safaris such as Jao and Kingspool situated deep in the water land of Botswana’s Okavango delta rely on high-end luxury tourism with rooms costing upwards of $800 per person, per night in peak season. It has always been the policy of Botswana to concentrate on low volume, high value tourism. The Okavango Delta (or Okavango Swamp), in Botswana, is the world’s largest inland delta and is home to an abundance of wildlife.
JOHANNESBURG, South Africa — A plane crash in Botswana's Okavango Delta region has killed seven tourists and their foreign pilot, according to reports.
The Cessna 208 plane — a Moremi Air charter flight — crashed shortly after takeoff from the Xakanaxa air strip in northern Botswana, according to BBC News. It was heading to the island campsite of Pom Pom, a luxury safari spot famous for its birds and wildlife.
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The eight killed include three Swedes, three French nationals and a British tourist, as well as their British pilot, Agence France-Presse reports.
Two French tourists and two Botswana nationals — said to be officials from the Department of Road Transport and Safety — survived the crash, according to the country's civil aviation authority.
The French couple who survived have been airlifted to a Johannesburg hospital for emergency treatment, AFP reports.
Botswana officials said the cause of the crash is not yet known, and the transport ministry is investigating.
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