A Norwich couple have been named today as two of the five British tourists killed when their sightseeing plane crashed in Malawi.
Six people - including the Canadian pilot - were killed when the Cessna plane came down as it travelled from the capital Lilongwe to the north of the African country at the weekend.
Dawn Rollins, 45, and husband Colin Smith, 45, were today named among the dead.
Ms Rollins worked as a senior manager at the Norwich office of chartered accountants Lovewell Blake.
Ms Rollins and Mr Smith were married and lived together in Norwich, the firm said this afternoon.
Simon Watson, partner of Lovewell Blake, said the couple had no children.
Mr Watson said colleagues had been left shocked at the death of Ms Rollins, who had been at the company for 16 years.
Ms Rollins specialised in agricultural accountancy and was well known throughout the farming community in Norfolk.
“Staff and friends are absolutely devastated,” said Mr Watson today. “Dawn was very well liked by her staff and clients and fellow professionals.
“Dawn very much loved life. She loved to go on adventurous holidays, cycling in Africa - she was very keen on the outdoors.”
It is believed the tourists were part of a wider group of keen cyclists and squash players on holiday together.”
The plane came down in a river valley between 2pm and 2.30pm on Saturday afternoon, according to Shadreck Chibinga, duty air traffic controller at Lilongwe International Airport.
It had set off for a thirty minute sightseeing tour of the Rumphi district of northern Malawi but never arrived at its destination, prompting a search and rescue mission.
An investigation was immediately launched into the incident, which is believed to have happened in bad weather.
A Foreign Office spokesman said the families of the five dead were being kept up to date with the investigation into the cause of the crash.
Also named was sales director Nigel Clout, 53, a father of two daughters in their 20s, from Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire; Daniel Turnberg, aged 37 from north London, and David Murrell, 45.
The five British tourists were thought to have been part of a wider group of keen cyclists and squash players on holiday together.
There was no sign of a fault with the plane before it took off and the pilot had flown it many times before, often to take tourists on sightseeing tours inside and outside Malawi, Mr Chibinga added.
The tourists had been staying at a lodge on the Nyika Plateau. The Nyika Safari Company, which offers access to the Nyika National Park and Vwaza Marsh Game Reserve in the remote north of the country, is understood to have been operating the plane.
The company apparently has its own Cessna 206 which seats four to five passengers and offers charter flights to and from the two reserves to any other destination in Malawi.
Monday, 18 June 2007
Bikes for Africa; Donated city bikes will help orphans in Malawi
About 150 bikes collected in Peterborough Saturday will be shipped to Malawi, Africa as part of a community development project.
Third Space on Park Street hosted the bike collection on behalf of Africycle, an organization that ships bicycles to impoverished African cities to raise money for local orphanages.
Ben Voss and Mike Siddall, two of the group's founders from Oxbridge, Ont., were on hand to thank donors.
The organization began collecting bicycles two years ago and shipped its first load of 450 bicycles as well as tools and parts to Zomba, Malawi on March 19.
The bikes are shipped in a 40-foot shipping cart, which upon arrival, becomes a makeshift bicycle repair shop, Siddall said.
Several locals are employed to fix and sell the bikes with proceeds going to local orphanages.
"The actual container itself becomes a bicycle shop," Siddall said. "We plant the shop there and it becomes a working community development project."
The first container was well-received, they said, and the group hopes to send a second one by next winter.
Three Peterborough residents - Jessica Cunningham, Steph Wood and James Kirkland - will be going to Africa themselves to supervise one of the two projects, Siddall said.
"We've made some great connections here in Peterborough," Siddall said.
Third Place pastor David Blondel said he thought it was a great cause and didn't hesitate to chip in.
"It's a good project.
"There are several local connections to it, so this was just one way to help," Blondel said.
Third Space on Park Street hosted the bike collection on behalf of Africycle, an organization that ships bicycles to impoverished African cities to raise money for local orphanages.
Ben Voss and Mike Siddall, two of the group's founders from Oxbridge, Ont., were on hand to thank donors.
The organization began collecting bicycles two years ago and shipped its first load of 450 bicycles as well as tools and parts to Zomba, Malawi on March 19.
The bikes are shipped in a 40-foot shipping cart, which upon arrival, becomes a makeshift bicycle repair shop, Siddall said.
Several locals are employed to fix and sell the bikes with proceeds going to local orphanages.
"The actual container itself becomes a bicycle shop," Siddall said. "We plant the shop there and it becomes a working community development project."
The first container was well-received, they said, and the group hopes to send a second one by next winter.
Three Peterborough residents - Jessica Cunningham, Steph Wood and James Kirkland - will be going to Africa themselves to supervise one of the two projects, Siddall said.
"We've made some great connections here in Peterborough," Siddall said.
Third Place pastor David Blondel said he thought it was a great cause and didn't hesitate to chip in.
"It's a good project.
"There are several local connections to it, so this was just one way to help," Blondel said.
Off to Malawi
It is 2AM, and I am struggling to grasp the idea that, TODAY, I will be embarking on a 72-hr trip around the world to Malawi, Africa. For 5weeks, I will be collecting data and meeting with local officials and members of communities surrounding Lilongwe making arrangements to start a program that will bring disadvantaged youth from America to Africa to carry service projects in a cross-cultural environment (www.revivingourcommunities.org).
I am writing you to ask you to JOIN ME in this adventure. One of thethings that I wish I had done my last trip to Africa was to really document my experiences and share them with others. This blog I havearranged is not for me to boast about my travels nor share my vacation experiences. This blog will be one that carries much more meaning. Ibelieve that there are people who need their stories to be heard, and Ipray that I can be a vessel for my neighbors in Africa. And I pray that my experiences and their stories will inspire others to act and do God'swork.
In about 8 hours I will begin what end up being a 72hr trip from Chapel Hill, NC to Lilongwe, Malawi. Starting at RDU, I will be flying an hour and a half to Atlanta and staying there for 5 hours before my 9-hour flight to Amsterdam, arriving there on Tuesday. Several hours later I will be catching another 9-10hour flight from Europe to Niarobi, Kenya. After an overnight stay in the airport, my 2-hour morning flight from Kenya will finally bring me to my final destination at the Lilongwe airport Wednesday morning. To you this may sound like minor details, but for me, I will feel the brunt of these small details.I will let you know how it goes as soon as I can reach a computer. Stay tuned!!!
I am writing you to ask you to JOIN ME in this adventure. One of thethings that I wish I had done my last trip to Africa was to really document my experiences and share them with others. This blog I havearranged is not for me to boast about my travels nor share my vacation experiences. This blog will be one that carries much more meaning. Ibelieve that there are people who need their stories to be heard, and Ipray that I can be a vessel for my neighbors in Africa. And I pray that my experiences and their stories will inspire others to act and do God'swork.
In about 8 hours I will begin what end up being a 72hr trip from Chapel Hill, NC to Lilongwe, Malawi. Starting at RDU, I will be flying an hour and a half to Atlanta and staying there for 5 hours before my 9-hour flight to Amsterdam, arriving there on Tuesday. Several hours later I will be catching another 9-10hour flight from Europe to Niarobi, Kenya. After an overnight stay in the airport, my 2-hour morning flight from Kenya will finally bring me to my final destination at the Lilongwe airport Wednesday morning. To you this may sound like minor details, but for me, I will feel the brunt of these small details.I will let you know how it goes as soon as I can reach a computer. Stay tuned!!!
Britons die in Malawi plane crash
Five British tourists and a Canadian pilot have died in a plane crash in northern Malawi, authorities said.
The Cessna aircraft had been heading from the capital city, Lilongwe, to the north of the country.
"The wreckage of the plane was found by villagers in a ravine, and there were no survivors," police spokesman Willie Mwaluka said, Reuters reported.
Investigators were trying to find the reason for the crash, he said. The next of kin are yet to be notified.
'Bad weather'
"The five Britons were on a cycling tour in the northern part of Malawi and they took a plane yesterday (Saturday) with a Canadian pilot for sight-seeing," Mr Mwaluka was quoted by Reuters.
"The plane was expected back at camp after 45 minutes but never returned."
Raymond Phesele, the government's chief aviation officer, said one of the British tourists killed was a woman.
An investigation has been launched into the cause of the incident, which reportedly happened in bad weather.
A Foreign Office spokesman said: "We were informed by the Malawian authorities that a plane crashed in Malawi and that there were British fatalities.
"We are still establishing the facts with the authorities and informing the next of kin."
He added that no further details would be released at this stage.
Remote north
The plane is understood to have been operated by Nyika Safari Company which offers access to two reserves in the remote north of the country - Nyika National Park and Vwaza Marsh Game Reserve.
"Covering a total of 4120 square kilometres these two reserves contain the finest scenery, wildlife and wilderness areas to be found in the country," its website says.
The company apparently has its own Cessna 206, which seats four to five passengers.
It offers charter flights to and from the two reserves to any other destination in Malawi.
Flights can also be arranged to regional destinations such as the Luangwa Valley in Zambia, the Mozambique coast or the great parks of southern Tanzania.
Malawi, one of the poorest countries in southern Africa, has a small tourist industry, concentrated mainly in the scenic north of the nation.
The Cessna aircraft had been heading from the capital city, Lilongwe, to the north of the country.
"The wreckage of the plane was found by villagers in a ravine, and there were no survivors," police spokesman Willie Mwaluka said, Reuters reported.
Investigators were trying to find the reason for the crash, he said. The next of kin are yet to be notified.
'Bad weather'
"The five Britons were on a cycling tour in the northern part of Malawi and they took a plane yesterday (Saturday) with a Canadian pilot for sight-seeing," Mr Mwaluka was quoted by Reuters.
"The plane was expected back at camp after 45 minutes but never returned."
Raymond Phesele, the government's chief aviation officer, said one of the British tourists killed was a woman.
An investigation has been launched into the cause of the incident, which reportedly happened in bad weather.
A Foreign Office spokesman said: "We were informed by the Malawian authorities that a plane crashed in Malawi and that there were British fatalities.
"We are still establishing the facts with the authorities and informing the next of kin."
He added that no further details would be released at this stage.
Remote north
The plane is understood to have been operated by Nyika Safari Company which offers access to two reserves in the remote north of the country - Nyika National Park and Vwaza Marsh Game Reserve.
"Covering a total of 4120 square kilometres these two reserves contain the finest scenery, wildlife and wilderness areas to be found in the country," its website says.
The company apparently has its own Cessna 206, which seats four to five passengers.
It offers charter flights to and from the two reserves to any other destination in Malawi.
Flights can also be arranged to regional destinations such as the Luangwa Valley in Zambia, the Mozambique coast or the great parks of southern Tanzania.
Malawi, one of the poorest countries in southern Africa, has a small tourist industry, concentrated mainly in the scenic north of the nation.
'Isolated' Mugabe told to step down - sources
Embattled Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe has been told by his trusted lieutenants that it is time for him to step down, and is considering retiring to either Malawi or Namibia.
Sources revealed at the weekend that Mugabe has been told by Happyton Bonyongwe, the head of the Central Intelligence Organisation, Nathan Shamuyarira, the Zanu-PF information secretary and Didymus Mutasa, the security minister, that he will lose the next election if he stands.
Mugabe has been advised to appoint a successor immediately to save Zanu-PF from embarrassment in the 2008 poll.
A senior Zanu-PF official said at the weekend that Mugabe was now seriously considering stepping down.
"He has become increasingly isolated and is feeling it. His trusted friends in the party, Mutasa and Shamuyarira, now regard him as burden to Zanu-PF and are pushing for him to go," the source said.
Last week, a high level security meeting was held after a foiled coup, of which Solomon Mujuru - retired army general and husband of Deputy President Joyce Mujuru - is alleged to have been the mastermind. At that meeting, the source said, Mugabe was told by his lieutenants that his time was up.
"He is considering Malawi and Namibia as possible retirement homes," the source said. "He has properties (farms) in those countries and has started making moves because he knows that he will be unable to live safely in Zimbabwe when he is no longer president."
ZimDaily, an online publication, reported that Mugabe had used a recent trip to Malawi to look at a farm he was offered by President Bingu wa Mutharika. Mugabe is also said to have been guaranteed a safe haven in Namibia by his long-time ally Sam Nujoma.
Sources revealed at the weekend that Mugabe has been told by Happyton Bonyongwe, the head of the Central Intelligence Organisation, Nathan Shamuyarira, the Zanu-PF information secretary and Didymus Mutasa, the security minister, that he will lose the next election if he stands.
Mugabe has been advised to appoint a successor immediately to save Zanu-PF from embarrassment in the 2008 poll.
A senior Zanu-PF official said at the weekend that Mugabe was now seriously considering stepping down.
"He has become increasingly isolated and is feeling it. His trusted friends in the party, Mutasa and Shamuyarira, now regard him as burden to Zanu-PF and are pushing for him to go," the source said.
Last week, a high level security meeting was held after a foiled coup, of which Solomon Mujuru - retired army general and husband of Deputy President Joyce Mujuru - is alleged to have been the mastermind. At that meeting, the source said, Mugabe was told by his lieutenants that his time was up.
"He is considering Malawi and Namibia as possible retirement homes," the source said. "He has properties (farms) in those countries and has started making moves because he knows that he will be unable to live safely in Zimbabwe when he is no longer president."
ZimDaily, an online publication, reported that Mugabe had used a recent trip to Malawi to look at a farm he was offered by President Bingu wa Mutharika. Mugabe is also said to have been guaranteed a safe haven in Namibia by his long-time ally Sam Nujoma.
Mission in Malawi
The Selma Times-Journal
Seven Selmians exchanged goodbyes with family and friends in the First Baptist Church parking lot on Friday; the beginning of an eight-day mission trip to the African Republic of Malawi.
"I got my passport and I got Jesus," said Karl Lewis as he exited his vehicle. "And that's all I need."
The seven are among 28 people from Georgia and Mississippi to share the word of God and provide general medical care to the Malawi people, said Dr. Park Chittom, one of three physicians on the mission.
"We'll be there doing whatever the Lord tells us to do," Chittom said.
Chittom added that AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis are common diseases in Malawi, where the average age of a citizen is 16 due to lack of healthcare.
Selma City Councilwoman Dr. Geraldine Allen, who is a family nurse practictioner, said the group will care for minor scrapes and cuts as well as administer malaria medicine to fend off infections
This isn't Allen's first medical mission excursion, having traveled to Belarus, Russia, to care for children.
"I like to give back. I'm all about service," Allen said. "So many people have been good to me and God has been good to me, so we have to help others.
"We're just doing the mission for the Lord."
It will take three days for the missionaries to reach their destination.
Packing their belongings in two sports utility vehicles, the group drove from Selma to Jackson, Miss., where they will catch a flight to Detroit, Mich.
From Detroit they will fly to London, then to Zimbabwe and finally Malawi.
The Southern Baptist Convention International Mission Board coordinated the trip.
Before departing, the group formed a circle and joined hands in prayer; asking God to open the hearts of the Malawi people to His word, and asking for a safe return home.
Seven Selmians exchanged goodbyes with family and friends in the First Baptist Church parking lot on Friday; the beginning of an eight-day mission trip to the African Republic of Malawi.
"I got my passport and I got Jesus," said Karl Lewis as he exited his vehicle. "And that's all I need."
The seven are among 28 people from Georgia and Mississippi to share the word of God and provide general medical care to the Malawi people, said Dr. Park Chittom, one of three physicians on the mission.
"We'll be there doing whatever the Lord tells us to do," Chittom said.
Chittom added that AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis are common diseases in Malawi, where the average age of a citizen is 16 due to lack of healthcare.
Selma City Councilwoman Dr. Geraldine Allen, who is a family nurse practictioner, said the group will care for minor scrapes and cuts as well as administer malaria medicine to fend off infections
This isn't Allen's first medical mission excursion, having traveled to Belarus, Russia, to care for children.
"I like to give back. I'm all about service," Allen said. "So many people have been good to me and God has been good to me, so we have to help others.
"We're just doing the mission for the Lord."
It will take three days for the missionaries to reach their destination.
Packing their belongings in two sports utility vehicles, the group drove from Selma to Jackson, Miss., where they will catch a flight to Detroit, Mich.
From Detroit they will fly to London, then to Zimbabwe and finally Malawi.
The Southern Baptist Convention International Mission Board coordinated the trip.
Before departing, the group formed a circle and joined hands in prayer; asking God to open the hearts of the Malawi people to His word, and asking for a safe return home.
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