Johannesburg:
A military plane has crashed in South Africa's mountainous east, killing 11 officers, the air force said on Thursday.
"On board the aircraft was a crew of six and five passengers and it was confirmed that there are no survivors," the Air Force said in a statement.
The wreckage of the C-47 Dakota was found in the Drakensberg mountains, after a search and rescue effort was hampered by bad weather.
Officials said the plane took off from Pretoria's Waterkloof Air Force Base and was scheduled to land at around 10:00 am (0800 GMT) in Mthatha, a small airport in the Eastern Cape that is the closest to Nelson Mandela's rural homestead of Qunu, where he has lived since retiring from public life.
"After the expected time of arrival and no communication from the aircraft, the SAAF (South African Air Force) activated a search and rescue mission.
"Severe weather conditions in the area hindered the continuation of the search and rescue effort," the Air Force said.
"At first light this morning, the rescue team continued their effort and located the wreckage in the Drakensberg Mountains."
It was not carrying members of Nelson Mandela's medical team, as earlier unconfirmed reports suggested.
A panel has been asked to investigate the cause of the accident.
"On board the aircraft was a crew of six and five passengers and it was confirmed that there are no survivors," the Air Force said in a statement.
The wreckage of the C-47 Dakota was found in the Drakensberg mountains, after a search and rescue effort was hampered by bad weather.
Officials said the plane took off from Pretoria's Waterkloof Air Force Base and was scheduled to land at around 10:00 am (0800 GMT) in Mthatha, a small airport in the Eastern Cape that is the closest to Nelson Mandela's rural homestead of Qunu, where he has lived since retiring from public life.
"After the expected time of arrival and no communication from the aircraft, the SAAF (South African Air Force) activated a search and rescue mission.
"Severe weather conditions in the area hindered the continuation of the search and rescue effort," the Air Force said.
"At first light this morning, the rescue team continued their effort and located the wreckage in the Drakensberg Mountains."
It was not carrying members of Nelson Mandela's medical team, as earlier unconfirmed reports suggested.
A panel has been asked to investigate the cause of the accident.
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