UPDATE 1-Two South Africans killed in Tanzania plane crash, official says

A light plane crashed in western Tanzania on Saturday, killing two South Africans, officials said.

The four-seater Sling plane, which entered Tanzanian airspace from Uganda en route to Malawi, made a distress signal about engine failure before disappearing from radar, according to the Tanzania Civil Aviation Authority (TCAA). "The pilot and passenger, both South African citizens, were killed in the plane crash that occurred shortly after takeoff from Tabora airport at around 7:30 am," Sikonge district commissioner Peres Magiri told ITV television station.

The plane was destroyed by fire after the crash and only the engine and some other parts were recovered. It was owned by a South African organization known as U-Dream Global. South Africa's Department of International Relations and Cooperation said it was looking into the incident and had no further details at present.

U-Dream Global, made international headlines in June when a group of students successfully built a four-seater Sling aircraft and then flew it from Cape Town to Cairo. On its website, U-Dream Global is described as a not-for-profit organization founded by a teen pilot and motivational speaker Megan Werner in 2018.

Reuters was unable to contact the firm.

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