11 killed in S African military plane crash

Eleven people were confirmed killed in a South African military plane crash early Thursday. The victims included six crew members and five passengers, according to the Defense Ministry. No one survived the crash, the ministry said in a statement. The C-47 Dakota aircraft crashed in a mountainous area in the eastern province of Kwa-Zulu Natal while on en route to Mthatha in the southern province of the Eastern Cape. The plane lost contact with its base soon after take off, the South African Air Force said. The South African National Defense Force (SANDF) dismissed press reports that former president Nelson Mandela's medical team was not on board the aircraft. SANDF head of communication Siphiwe Dlamini called reports "incorrect". An investigation has been launched to determine the cause of the crash. The air route is usually used weekly by Mandela's medical team to look after his health in the rural village of Qunu in the Eastern Cape province, according to the 24-hour television news broadcaster eNCA. Rescue teams have found the plane's wreckage in the mountainous area of Drakensberg, the South African Air Force said.