GABORONE, April 27 (Xinhua) -- An army pilot lost his life in a BF5 fighter aircraft crash which occurred on Friday in Gaborone, capital of Botswana, during the Botswana Defence Force (BDF) Day Celebration rehearsals, said a statement issued by Botswana Defence Force.

The army spokesperson major Fana Maswabi confirmed the incident but refused to release the names of the deceased until his next of kin have been informed.

"As a matter of urgency, the Commander has directed the appointment of an investigating team to examine the cause of the crash," Maswabi said.

The BDF will continue with its 41st anniversary celebrations on Saturday. </s> MASVINGO– A small plane went down in Tokwane-Ngundu, Masvingo Province, on Friday morning killing five people including four tourists from Finland.

The Zimbabwean pilot of the Cessna 182 aircraft, who died in the crash, has been named as Barry Style.

The Civil Aviation Authority of Zimbabwe has sent accident investigators to the scene.

The plane crashed into a rocky outcrop and broke apart. So dismembered were the bodies of the five victims that first responders at the horrific scene initially thought they had three victims.

‘There were four Finnish citizens and their pilot in the plane, they all died,’ Sally Ward told AFP.

‘It was cloudy and they were trying to get above the clouds.’

The accident occurred near Renco, a gold mine on the outskirts of Masvingo, police spokesman Paul Nyathi said.

‘It was cloudy and they were trying to get above the clouds.’

The accident occurred near Renco, a gold mine on the outskirts of Masvingo, police spokesman Paul Nyathi said.

According to ZimLive the passengers were flying from Buffalo Range Airport in Chiredzi to the country’s famous Victoria Falls.

The bodies were said to have been so badly destroyed in the crash that emergency services initially thought only three had died, it is claimed.

Investigators also found a Finnish identity card and a passport at the scene, police said. </s> TORONTO — A pilot is dead after a Canadian CF-18 fighter jet crashed in western Canada during a training mission.

Canadian Forces spokesman Daniel Le Bouthillier confirmed that the pilot died in Monday's crash.

He said the plane was based out of Alberta's Canadian Forces Base Cold Lake, the busiest fighter base in Canada. It provides fighter training for all Canadian Forces pilots.

Speaking in Ottawa, Air Force commander Lt.-Gen. Michael Hood said the plane came down on the Saskatchewan side of the border between the provinces during a routine training mission.

Defense Minister Harjit Sajjan said he couldn't speculate on what caused the crash. A helicopter from the base was dispatched to the crash site.

The Canadian government announced last week that it would look to buy 18 Super Hornet jet fighters from Boeing to replace Canada's aging fleet of CF-18s. Canada is also holding an open competition to buy dozens more planes over the next five years. Canada remains part of Lockheed Martin's F-35 Joint Strike Fighter program. </s> Four Finnish tourists on a hunting expedition have died in a plane crash in Zimbabwe.

The crash on Friday also killed their pilot Barry Style, the Finnish consul in the African country said today.

The plane, reported to be a Cessna-182 light aircraft, crashed near Zimbabwe's southern city of Masvingo.

'There were four Finnish citizens and their pilot in the plane, they all died,' Sally Ward told AFP.

'It was cloudy and they were trying to get above the clouds.'

The accident occurred near Renco, a gold mine on the outskirts of Masvingo, police spokesman Paul Nyathi said.

According to ZimLive the passengers were flying from Buffalo Range Airport in Chiredzi to the country's famous Victoria Falls.

The bodies were said to have been so badly destroyed in the crash that emergency services initially thought only three had died, it is claimed.

Investigators also found a Finnish identity card and a passport at the scene, police said. </s> A total of 11 people died in a bus crash on the N1 in Mookgopong near Modimolle on Monday morning‚ Limpopo police.

"It is alleged that the bus was travelling from Gauteng Province towards Polokwane in the early hours of today on Monday with 55 passengers and five drivers when it lost control and overturned. During this accident‚ 11 out of 60 where certified dead at the scene‚ all the drivers and other passengers sustained serious injuries and were taken to various hospitals for medical treatment‚" said Colonel Moatshe Ngoepe.

The bus was believed to have been bound for Zambia. </s> Four Finns on a hunting expedition died in a plane crash Friday that also killed their pilot near Zimbabwe's southern city of Masvingo, the Finnish consul's wife told AFP.

"There were four Finnish citizens and their pilot in the plane, they all died," Sally Ward told AFP.

"It was cloudy and they were trying to get above the clouds."

Police spokesperson Paul Nyathi said the accident occurred near Renco, a gold mine on the outskirts of Masvingo and that investigators had found a Finnish identity card and a passport at the scene.
A Botswanan CF-5 fighter jet crashes in Gaborone, killing the pilot.