Atleast 20 injured in Pretoria plane crash

JOHANNESBURG, South Africa - In a tragic incident, a charter plane crashed into a small factory near Wonderboom Airport, northern Pretoria  on Tuesday afternoon. 

According to officials, one person had died and 19 others had suffered critical injuries in the plane crash.

Local reports noted that the airplane took off from the Wonderboom Airport and crashed just 2KM away. 

Soon after the plane went down, several medics and emergency officials rushed to the spot and began helping those who had suffered grave injuries. 

Most of them were rushed to hospitals around the city. 

According to Xander Loubser, a paramedic from BestCare Ambulance Service, the crash happened about 1km east of the N4 in Derdepoort and about 8km east of the Wonderboom Airport.

Some reports quoted officials as saying that the plane suffered technical problems before it came down.

Russel Meiring, a spokesperson for ER24 said, “Services are currently on the scene, they’ve been treating the patients. Once treated, the patients will be transported, as well as airlifted by the ER24 medical helicopter, to nearby hospitals. The exact details surrounding the incident are still unknown, but local authorities are on the scene and an investigation will be conducted.”

Meanwhile, Tshwane Emergency Services said that four workers have been left critically injured after the plane hit a factory before crashing.

Johan Pieterse, a spokesperson for the service said, “We can confirm that a plane has crashed into a small factory. Apparently, there were four critically injured patients inside the factory and I think there was 19 [people] on board of the plane."

The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) spokesperson Kabelo Ledwaba said their investigators were on their way to the crash site.