PLANE WRECKAGE SIGHTED IN THE DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO (DRC) ON SUNDAY HAS BEEN CONFIRMED AS A SOUTH AFRICAN PLANE MISSING IN THE AREA SINCE LATE LAST WEEK, DPA REPORTED. THE PLANE, WHICH WAS CARRYING TWO CREW MEMBERS AND A PASSENGER, WAS DISCOVERED BY A UNITED NATIONS SEARCH TEAM EARLY SUNDAY MORNING IN A MOUNTAINOUS REGION CLOSE TO THE DRC'S BORDER WITH UGANDA. "THE BODIES HAVE BEEN RECOVERED AND THEY HAVE BEEN IDENTIFIED BUT I CANNOT GIVE YOU THEIR NAMES. THEY WERE ALL SOUTH AFRICANS," PHINDIWE GWEBU, A SPOKESWOMAN FOR THE SOUTH AFRICAN CIVIL AVIATION AUTHORITY TOLD SAPA NEWS AGENCY. THE SOUTH AFRICAN REGISTERED PLANE, CHARTERED BY THE UNITED NATIONS WORLD FOOD PROGRAMME (WFP), HAD BEEN MISSING SINCE EARLY FRIDAY. CONTACT WAS LOST SHORTLY AFTER IT TOOK OFF FROM GOMA IN THE EASTERN DRC. IT WAS EN-ROUTE TO THE NORTH-EASTERN TOWN OF BUNIA, SAPA NEWS AGENCY REPORTED. THE INCIDENT CAME JUST A DAY AFTER A PLANE CRASH IN THE DRC INVOLVING ANOTHER SOUTH AFRICAN REGISTERED PLANE. TWO SOUTH AFRICAN PILOTS, ANDRE NEL AND CHARLES GREYVENSTEIN WERE AMONG THOSE WHO DIED WHEN THEIR PLANE CRASHED ON APPROACH TO AMISI IN THE DRC.
