Five passengers on board an SAPS plane have been killed in a crash near Rand Airport, while the pilot has been critically injured and has been taken to a nearby hospital.
PRETORIA – Five members of the South African Police Service have been confirmed dead after their aircraft crashed at the Rand Airport, Germiston on Tuesday afternoon.
The pilot has been critically injured and taken to a hospital.
“On board were five passengers and a pilot. All five passengers have sadly lost their lives. The pilot is critically injured and has been taken to a nearby hospital for further medical care,” said police spokesperson Colonel Athlenda Mathe.
Mathe added that authorities are on the scene to establish the cause of the accident.
“The details of the deceased and injured pilot will be released once their next of kin have been informed,” Mathe said.
A source in the emergency services said six people were on board when a SAPS PC-6 Turbo Porter aircraft crashed shortly after taking off the runway at Rand Airport.
He said one person is in critical condition and was airlifted to hospital.
Sisa Majola, spokesperson of the South African Civil Aviation Authority (SACAA), confirmed that they are aware of the accident, but they are still compiling a statement.
This is a developing story.
