Disaster in Namibia: Five Israelis and a local pilot were killed Friday afternoon after a light plane crashed in Namibia shortly after takeoff. Israel's Ambassador to South Africa, Ilan Baruch, arrived at the crash scene Saturday morning along with Israeli Consul Sharon Dadon. Five Israeli passports were found at the crash site.
Officials who are dealing with the incident told Ynet that the task of identifying the victims is a very difficult one because the plane completely disintegrated.
Moti Ganz, president of the Israel Diamond Manufacturers Association, said that all five crash victims are members of the diamond industry. "In recent years, many diamond factories have been established in the southern section of Africa, and about 50% of Namibia diamond factories are under Israeli ownership," Ganz said.
The accident occurred after the plane attempted to perform an emergency landing near the capital. Local police investigators, who are looking into the circumstances of the crash, said the plane belongs to Atlantic Aviation.
"I was on my way back home from the store when I saw a plane flying above our heads at very low altitude," a local resident said. "Suddenly the plane crashed right into a home." The eyewitness said the plane was up in flames immediately after it crashed.
A Namibian police spokesperson confirmed that six people were killed in the crash, including five foreigners. A senior Namibian aviation official told AFP the plane crashed "five minutes after takeoff."
Roee Nahmias contributed to the report
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