S. African president extends condolences over Kenyan plane's mishap

South African President Thabo Mbeki extended the South African government's condolences to the relatives of those onboard a Kenya Airways plane missing in Cameroon shortly after taking off early Saturday.

"The government and people of South Africa were shocked to hear of the tragic incident in which a Kenya Airways airliner crashed with 105 passengers and 9 crew members on board," he said through a statement issued by the foreign ministry.

"The thoughts and prayers of the government and people of South Africa are with the governments and families of those who have lost loved ones," Mbeki said.

The South African Press Association (SAPA) said on Saturday that 19 of the passengers on ill-fated KQ 507 flight had a connecting flight to Johannesburg.

Among those on board were seven South Africans, 35 Cameroonians, 15 Indians, six Chinese, six Ivorians, six Nigerians, five British and nine Kenyan crew members, with the nationalities of three still to be confirmed.

Kenya Airways spokesman Glenn Lewington said a search was still underway for flight KQ 507 and there was no word on the number of those killed, or if there were any survivors.

He said the plane's emergency transponder was emitting a signal. There was "incredibly bad weather" in Cameroon, which was hampering the search.

The 737-800 aircraft left Douala, Cameroon at five minutes past midnight but failed to arrive in Nairobi, Kenya, at 6:15 a.m. ( 0315 GMT) as scheduled, said Lewington.

The last message from the aircraft was received by the Douala control tower immediately after taking off. A distress signal was picked up on the West Coast of Africa.

Source: Xinhua