Plane crash kills 11 in South Africa

A South African military aircraft has crashed in the country’s eastern mountain range, killing all 11 passengers on board.

South African Brigadier General Xolani Mabanga said soldiers found the wreckage of the plane on Thursday in the Drakensberg mountains near Ladysmith in KwaZulu-Natal province.

The aircraft, which was travelling from Pretoria to Mthatha, took off from the air force base on Wednesday and went missing, the general said.

The soldiers were immediately sent to the scene, but had to abandon the initial search due to bad weather.

Some reports say that the plane was carrying members of Nelson Mandela’s medical team to make a routine visit to the 94-year-old at his rural hometown.