A private plane crashed in southern Zimbabwe on Monday while transporting gold worth nearly a million dollars.
An official with the Civil Aviation Authority of Zimbabwe, James Danga confirmed the incident.
The plane crashed in the Bubi district of Matabeleland North Province. It carried at least 22kg of gold .
Although Danga confirmed the accident, he would not divulge further details, citing security issues.
“The private jet which had two people crashed at around 14:00 in Kennilworth in Bubi district and the two people escaped with minor injuries. The plane was carrying 22kgs of gold,” said Danga.
The identities of the two people were yet to established, he said, adding that more details would be availed once ready.
“The private jet is believed to belong to Central Air Traffic Services and it crashed this Monday afternoon,” said Danga.
Police spokesperson Senior Assistant Commissioner Charity Charamba could not be reached for comment.
The origin of the plane and its intended destination, could not be established.
Zimbabwe has vast gold deposits, although some critics have in the past claimed that the country’s resources were being “illegally externalized”.
Mines minister Walter Chidhakwa was not immediately available for comment.
The Civil Aviation Authority of Zimbabwe (CAAZ) said the Cessna 206 aircraft that crash-landed in the Kennilworth area of Bubi district in Zimbabwe’s Matabeleland North province was transporting 22kg of gold to the capital Harare.
CAAZ acting general manager Blessing Ngwarai told the state-controlled Chronicle newspaper that the plane’s pilot sent a distress signal after realizing that the aircraft had developed a technical fault just after taking off from Joshua Mqabuko Nkomo International Airport in Zimbabwe’s second largest city of Bulawayo.
Police spokesperson Senior Assistant Commissioner Charity Charamba confirmed that gold was discovered in the plane and investigations were still under way.
“The aircraft was transporting gold but I don’t have the exact value. Our officers are on the ground and a detailed report would be released once investigations are complete,” said Charamba. However a CAAZ official yesterday said the gold was worth about $800 000.
Damaged beyond repair
Charamba could not say who the owner of the gold consignment was, saying details were still sketchy.
Ngwarai said the plane was heading to Charles Prince Airport in Harare but professed ignorance on the aircraft’s consignment.
“Air traffic at Joshua Mqabuko Nkomo International Airport lost contact with the pilot and this triggered a search. The Airforce of Zimbabwe dispatched two aircraft and one helicopter to rescue the pair,” said Ngwarai.
“…We do not inspect cargo. When we respond to such incidents we only look at what happened not the cargo,” added Ngwarai.
A private security company was also called to ferry the gold from the accident scene following the crash.
Aviation Safety Net reported that the aircraft was damaged beyond repair after it force-landed in a field following loss of engine power. The aircraft flipped over and came to rest inverted, injuring both pilots who were the only people in the plane. The pilots were reportedly airlifted by the army to Harare where they were reportedly receiving treatment at an undisclosed health center although officials said the injuries were minor.
