At least 11 dead in Angola plane crash

A twin-engine plane slammed into a mountain in rain and fog in Angola's central highlands, killing at least 11 people, state media reported.

Angolan National Radio said there were no survivors among the 11 people on board the Beechcraft-200 when it crashed on Saturday morning. State news agency Angop quoted civil aviation officials as saying 12 people were killed.

Officials could not immediately be reached for comment.

The aircraft crashed near Huambo, a city 320 miles (500 kilometers) southeast of the capital, Luanda, media said.

An army team reached the crash site and reported no survivors, according to the radio report.

The twin-propeller plane, owned by private airline Gira Globo, had tried to land a two local airports during rain and fog before it crashed, the reports said.

The Beechcraft 200 can carry up to 16 people.

Angola's last plane crash occurred in July, when a Boeing 737 plane carrying 79 passengers went down in a rural area. Five people died in that accident.

The Southwest African country has a poor record in air safety, largely due to poor maintenance. Its national airline TAAG is on the European Union's blacklist and is prohibited from flying to European destinations. (AP)
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