The chairman, chief executive officer and top executives of an Australian mining firm were aboard a chartered plane that went missing after it took off in Cameroon, Australian mining officials said on Sunday. Australian foreign mi-nister Stephen Smith said 10 people were on board the chartered flight, including six Australians, which was due to travel on a flight path over dense jungle.
“We are seriously concerned about their safety and well-being,” Mr Smith said. Iron ore miner Sundance Resources said the flight from Yaounde in Cameroon to Yangadou in the Republic of Congo failed to arrive on Saturday and had been reported missing. “The flight was carrying nine passengers, predominately from Sundance Resources, who were visiting the company’s iron ore project in Cameroon and Congo,” Sundance said in a statement. “A comprehensive air and ground search coordinated by the Cameroon military will commence at first daylight local time on Sunday. A Congolese aircraft will also be involved in the search for the missing aircraft,” it added. The group was understood to be in Africa to speak to officials in Cameroon, Equatorial Gu-inea and Congo about an iron ore project.