Plane Hits Jungle Mountain; 17 Die
A plane crashed into a mountain in a remote area of Fiji’s largest island, killing all 17 people on board. The Air Fiji Brazilian-built Bandeirante plane went down in rugged jungle near Naseavou village on Fiji’s island of Viti Levu, about 40 miles northwest of the capital, Suva, said police operations director Jahir Khan. Ken McDonald, Air Fiji’s chief executive, said there were 15 passengers and two crew members on board. The victims were five Australians, one Japanese, one Chinese, one New Zealander and nine Fijians, officials said. The plane crashed about 15 minutes after taking off from Nausori Airport, bound for Nadi International Airport.
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