GAUTENG-(MaraviPost)-At least five people have died and a pilot is fighting for his life after a South African Police Service (SAPS) fixed-wing aircraft crashed shortly after take-off at the Rand Airport in Germiston, Gauteng.
Police spokesperson Colonel Athlenda Mathe confirmed the news of the tragedy adding that one of the five people who died was a SAPS officer.
“The accident happened on take-off and authorities are on scene to establish the cause of the accident. The details of the deceased and injured pilot will be released once their next of kin have been informed,” said Mathe.
According to News24, there were six people, including two police officers, on board when the crash happened.
Among the victims were one of the police officers and four technicians who were contracted by the South African Police Service.
The pilot who was ferried to the nearby hospital immediately after the crash is still in critical condition.
The cause of the accident is not yet known.
Meanwhile, Police have appointed a board of inquiry to establish what happened prior to the plane crash.
