No South Africans were killed in a plane crash in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) on Wednesday, said the Department of Foreign Affairs.
This, after initial reports that two of the passengers on board were South Africans.
"Our mission in the DRC has now verified that there were no South Africans on that ill-fated plane. There were no South African fatalities," said foreign affairs spokesman Ronnie Mamoepa on Thursday.
The plane, belonging to the DRC airline ITAB, apparently hit an overhead power cable shortly after take off from the Fungurume mining area for Lubumbashi at 5pm.
The Congolese pilot and his three foreign passengers died.
Mamoepa said South African consular officials visited the offices of ITAB where they were told no South Africans were involved.
ITAB is reportedly one of the airlines the European Union has banned from flying in EU airspace. - Sapa