GABORONE, Botswana ? A light aircraft carrying 12 people crashed after takeoff and burst into flames in Botswana, killing the British pilot and seven tourists from France, Sweden and Britain, an official said Monday.
The crash occurred Friday in the southern African nation's remote Okavango Delta, Civil Aviation Authority spokesman Modipe Nkwe said. He said two French tourists and two Botswana citizens survived.
The cause is under investigation, Nkwe said as news of the incident emerged Monday.
The chartered Cessna 208, operated by local company Moremi Air, crashed shortly after takeoff from Xakanaka airfield in northern Botswana and was ablaze soon after. The plane had been headed for Pom Pom, a camp site in the delta that is famous for its birds and wildlife, including elephants.
Nkwe said the plane was carrying 11 passengers and the pilot. The seven tourists who perished included a British man, three French women and three Swedes ? two women and a man.
The survivors were airlifted for medical care to Johannesburg in neighboring South Africa, he said.
France's Foreign Ministry said one French survivor remains hospitalized in Johannesburg with burns, though doctors say her life is not in danger. It said the other French survivor has returned home.
Britain's Foreign Office confirmed that two British nationals had died in the crash. It said that next of kin have been informed and provided with consular assistance, but declined to give further details.
In Sweden, however, the Foreign Ministry said it has not been able to confirm the reports but are looking into the matter.
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Associated Press Writers Michelle Faul in Johannesburg, Cassandra Vinograd in London, Jenny Barchfield in Paris, and Karl Ritter in Stockholm contributed to this report.
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