Air force plane crash kills militaries in Angola
Baku, September 15 (AZERTAC). A plane crash in Angola has killed 30 people, including three army generals.
Government official Luis Caetano, a spokesman for Huambo authorities, told the BBC the military aircraft crashed after leaving Huambo city airport.
He said six people had survived the crash, including the pilot and co-pilot.
Correspondents say the aircraft was a relatively new Embraer jet purchased by the army to transport top officials.
Initial reports said that there were 36 passengers on board, but Mr Caetano told the BBC's Focus on Africa program the number was 32.
He said the aeroplane divided when it crashed and 26 bodies - 20 men and six women - had initially been recovered from wreckage.
People in the front of the aircraft survived, but those passengers in the back died as that section caught fire, he said.
A photograph issued by state-run news agency Angop showed the plane had broken into two pieces upon impact.
The plane`s pilot said he did not know what had gone wrong.
"I don`t know what happened, the plane was fine during taxi and takeoff, and then I really do not know what happened," captain Jose Goncalves said from hospital.
Portuguese news agency Lusa said the accident happened at about midday local time (11:00 GMT).
The plane, bound for the capital, Luanda, took off from Huambo`s Albano Machado airport, which was only re-opened by the president last month after undergoing renovations.
Since 2002, Angola has been striving to tackle the legacy of a 27-year civil war that ravaged the country after independence.
According to Jane`s Intelligence and Analysis, a digest of military information, Angola has the largest standing army in central and southern Africa and one of the largest air forces in sub-Saharan Africa.
Other news in this section
