Durban - Two people were killed when a light aircraft crashed near Durban on Tuesday afternoon, emergency services reported.
The crash happened near Winkelspruit, south of Durban and according to initial reports it appeared as if the aircraft may have hit power lines before crashing in a sugar cane field alongside the N2 highway.
KwaZulu-Natal Emergency Medical Services spokesman, Robert McKenzie, said: “It is believed that the pilot and a passenger were the only people on board. The crash is believed to have happened today just after 2pm.
“When emergency services first arrived at the scene the plane was burning and the fire had to be extinguished.”
The cause of the crash is unknown at this stage and will be the subject of an investigation by the relevant authorities, he added.
The small white plane could be seen at the bottom of a sugar cane field. It was mangled and badly burnt.
One power lines appeared to be broken, fitting in with initial eyewitness accounts that the plane may have clipped the powerlines.
The N2 was lined with police, search and rescue teams and paramedics while traffic was also backed up along the highway as people had pulled over to see what was happening.
ANA