All my thoughts and prayers are with all the missing and their families.
Hope they are found alive and well. (BS)
YAOUNDE - A plane carrying 11 people including six Australians, two French, two British and one American on behalf of a mining company, has gone missing since Saturday, said Sunday the Cameroonian Minister of Communication. By AFP, published on 06.20.2010 at 13:47
"The Ministry of Communications shall inform the national and international opinion that Casa C212-type aircraft operated by the Congolese airline Aero Services chartered by Cam Iron, which was flying from the airport of Yaound Yangadou ( north-west of Congo) is missing, "said Communications Minister Issa Bakary Thiroma his ministry headquarters in Yaounde.
"The aircraft was carrying 11 people including nine passengers and two crew members, including six Australians, two French, one American and two Britons," the minister said.
The aircraft was "out of the Yaounde International Airport Saturday, June 19 at 9:13 for an estimated arrival at 10:20 am local (9:20 GMT). The last contact took place at 9:51 local," the minister said.
"This trip was due to hold a regular session of the Board of Directors of Cam Iron, which took place in Yaounde on June 17," said the minister.
He said a crisis unit was set up on the instructions of the President of the Republic of Cameroon, Paul Biya. The Department of Defense has mobilized a Hercules C-130, which has a large flight range and can fly at low altitude, a Piper and a Dornier, "he added.
Furthermore, a plane took off from Brazzaville to Yangadou and a helicopter went Libreville in Gabon for the same destination. "These aircraft are currently on the ground and have already undertaken the appropriate research", explained Minister of Cameroon.
"At the local level, governors, prefects, sub-prefects and the local population of this area and the loggers have made available all the means at their disposal to support the search," the minister said.
"The government remains in constant contact with all teams on an ongoing basis and inform the national and international public opinion," he said.
Earlier he had declared that "no fault" had been found during takeoff.
In the Congolese capital, where they had mentioned earlier "the possibility of a crash," Colonel-Pomphile Akoli Awaya, curator of the Maya-Maya Airport in Brazzaville, said at 17h (16h GMT) that the crew had taken off from Brazzaville to the research was "not yet returned.
The Australian government had expressed concern Sunday morning on the fate of a plane carrying senior Australian mining company Cam Iron, Sundance Resources subsidiary, between Cameroon and Congo - Brazzaville, and he emphasized no news since Saturday.
The Australian Foreign Minister Stephen Smith had stated: "We are very concerned about them".
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