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.