Three international football referees from Cameroon were among 114 passengers aboard a Kenya Airways, that Cameroonian state radio says has crashed.
The three match officials were due to take charge of the Confederation Cup game between the DR Congo’s TP Mazembe and Mwana Africa from Zimbabwe.
The flight, which originated in Ivory Coast, was reported missing on Saturday after it failed to arrive in Nairobi.
The trio were on their way to Nairobi in order to catch a connecting flight to the Kinshasa for the match.
The Confederation of African Football have brought in replacement officials from Congo Brazzaville so that the game can be played on Sunday as planned.
Kenya Airways has not confirmed the crash. It said people from at least 23 different nationalities were on board, including five Britons.
The BBC’s Karen Allen in Nairobi says the Boeing 737-800 involved in Saturday’s incident was just six months old and was part of a new fleet bought by the airline.
Kenya Airways only said the last communication with the missing plane was received by the control tower in Douala, Cameroon, shortly after take-off.
Poor weather is reported to be hampering the rescue effort. A team of Kenya Airways and government officials, led by Transport Minister Chirau Ali Makwere, are travelling to Douala.
BBC
