A light aircraft registered in Tanzania and owned by a firm based in Zanzibar has crashed off the Comoros.
The fate of the 14 people on board could not be immediately established following Saturday’s accident. The Cessna Caravan crashed into the sea as it was about to land.
Airline AB Aviation said its small Cessna plane disappeared from the radar about 2.5 kilometres (1.6 miles) from its destination during its flight between the capital Moroni and the city of Fomboni on the island of Moheli.
“Search operations… have begun to find the aircraft’s debris in the coastal area of Djoiezi confirming the crash,” the Comorian transport ministry said in a statement.
The Comorian government said the 12 passengers were Comorian and that the two pilots were Tanzanian.
The authorities said fishing boats and at least one speedboat rapidly deployed towards the position where the plane’s signal was lost.
Support is being offered to the affected families on Moheli and Moroni’s island of Grande Comore.
