Five Britons killed in Malawi plane crash

A plane crash in Malawi has claimed the lives of five British tourists and their Canadian pilot.

The sight-seeing tour Cessna was travelling north from the capital Lilongwe before the crash, with bad weather currently being blamed for the accident.

Police spokesman Willie Mwaluka told Reuters: "The wreckage of the plane was found by villagers in a ravine and there were no survivors…The plane was expected back at camp after 45 minutes but never returned."

An investigation has been launched into the incident, with local officials confirming that no previous problems with the plane had been noted.

"On the previous day this aircraft had flown from Zambia into Malawi without a problem," said Shadreck Chibinga, duty air traffic controller at Lilongwe International Airport.

"The pilot had flown this aircraft for quite a long time. He had been flying around the country taking tourists to different areas."

The victims - including one woman - have not yet been named, with the Foreign Office scheduled to notify the next of kin and gain a clearer picture of the facts surrounding the crash.