Long wait to determine cause of plane crash

THE relatives of four Spanish tourists who died in a plane crash in Limpopo over the Easter weekend will only know the exact cause of the crash in eight to 12 months. The South African Civil Aviation Authority said it was still investigating the crash that killed four tourists and their South African pilot on Sunday afternoon. According to police, the plane crash-landed and burst into flames shortly after take-off from an airstrip at about 17h00. "The pilot apparently realised that the door to the luggage compartment was open and made an attempt to land the plane so the door could be closed," said Bushveld police spokesman, inspector Madimetja Makgakge. The Spanish victims were identified as Guillermo Garcia Campello (59), his wife Francisca Martinet Charbonell (59), Campello's sister Josefina Garcia Campello (69), and a travel agent Fernando Sacristan (34). The fifth victim was Polish born South African pilot Tomasz Bokowski (45) who was flying a plane owned by Bison Computers in Johannesburg. The tourists were part of a group of six people who had gone on a hunting safari at a lodge on Wildebeestfontein farm. The Spanish Embassy in Pretoria said it was waiting to hear if DNA tests would be conducted on the burnt bodies to identify them. (African Eye News Service)