Officials in Cameroon say they have found the wreckage of a small plane chartered by an Australian mining company that was carrying 11 passengers. No one survived the crash.
The small aircraft disappeared Saturday en route from Cameroon's capital, Yaounde, to Yangadou in the Republic of Congo to visit an iron ore mining site.
Authorities in Cameroon, Gabon and the Republic of Congo coordinated the search mission. Via helicopter, they discovered the plane Monday afternoon in the Congolese jungle. French military personnel deployed to the crash site confirmed there were no survivors.
Spokesman for the Cameroon government, Issa Tchiroma Bakary, says the plane had two crew members and 11 passengers on board, including six Australians, as well as two French, one American and two British citizens.
The plane had been chartered by Australian company Sundance Resources. The company's entire board was killed in the crash, including Australian billionaire, Ken Talbot, and company chairman, Geoff Wedlock.
The Sundance team had traveled to Central Africa as part of the company's plan to expand operations in the region. The tragedy prompted the suspension of the company's shares on the Australian Stock Exchange while a new management team is assembled.
Australian, American and Canadian officials assisted in the search effort.
The Australian government says that retrieving the bodies from such inaccessible terrain could be "painstaking."
No Survivors in Small Plane Crash in Congolese Jungle
