On this day: Mbuzini tragedy was 34 years ago

Login

Register

http://www.clubofmozambique.com/

On this day: Mbuzini tragedy was 34 years ago

9:34 CAT | 19 Oct 2020

File photo: RM

This Monday, Mozambique pays homage to the victims of the Mbuzini tragedy, South Africa, in which the first President of independent Mozambique died.

Samora Moisés Machel died in an air crash in Mbuzini on 19 October 1986 on his way back from Mbala, Zambia, where he had gone to attend a summit of Front-Line States leaders, which discussed issues related to regional security.

The Mozambican presidential plane crashed and, along with Samora Machel, 34 members of his delegation died, in a tragedy that has not yet been clarified.

The presidential plane, a Tupolev 134, of Russian manufacture, hit the ground on top of a hill, a few hundred metres from the Mozambican border, about 5 km northeast of Namaacha, it then bounced and disintegrated, and was projected over the valley where the two main wreckage sites were located, parts of the fuselage and the tail, around which the bodies of the deceased were found.

Accident victims:

Luís Maria de Alcântara Santos- Minister of Transport and Communications;
José Carlos Lobo – Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs;
Aquino de Bragança – Director of the Center for African Studies;
Fernando Honwana – Special Assistant to His Excellency, the President of the Republic;
Alberto Cangela de Medonça – Head of the National Protocol;
Muradali Mamadhusen – Private Secretary to His Excellency, the President of the Republic;
João Tomás Navesse – Deputy Director of the Directorate of Legal and Consular Affairs of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs;
Ivete Amós – Secretary of His Excellency, the President of the Republic;
Osvaldo de Sousa – English interpreter of the President;
Bernardino Chiche – French interpreter
Gulamo Khan – Press Attaché at the Presidency of the Republic;
Azarias Inguane – Photographer of Jornal Notícias;
Fernando Nhanquila – Flight Engineer;
Daniel Maquinasse – President’s private photographer
Capitão Parente Manjate – member of staff of the Presidency;
NacirCharamadame -member of staff of the Presidency;
Adão Gore Nhoca – member of staff of the Presidency
Eduardo Viegas- member of staff of the Presidency;
Albino Falteira – member of staff of the Presidency;
Alberto Chaúque – member of staff of the Presidency;
José Quivanane – member of staff of the Presidency.
Orlando Garrine – Flight attendant;
Esmeralda luísa – Flight attendant;
Sofia Arone – Flight Attendant;
Ilda Carão – Flight Attendant;

The following international collaborators also perished in Mbuzini:

Henriques Bettencourt – Doctor of His Excellency, the President of the Republic;
Ulisses La Rosa Mesa – Personal Doctor of His Excellency, the President of the Republic;
Iuri Novdran – Aircraft Commander;
IgorKartmychev- Flight Engineer;
Amatoli Choulipov – Flight Engineer;
Cox. C. Sikumba – Ambassador of the Republic of Zambia
Tokwalu Batale – Ambassador of the Republic of Zaire

The following members of the presidential delegation survived the tragic event:

Eusébio Guido Martinho; Captain Carlos Jambo; Captain Carlos Rendição; Fernando Manuel João; Almeida Pedro; Manuel Jairosse; Daniel Cuna; Jossefa Machango; Vasco Langa; Vladimir Novoselov – Flight Engineer.

Source: Rádio Moçambique