A light aircraft crashed in a remote mountainous area between Zaka and Bikita districts in Masvingo Province on Sunday morning, leaving the pilot dead and his wife seriously injured.
According to people who witnessed the incident, the aircraft caught fire shortly after hitting the ground. The plane was carrying two occupants — the pilot and his spouse — at the time of the crash.
The woman survived the accident but sustained severe injuries to her legs. Some villagers at the scene claimed the couple are believed to be from Australia, although authorities have not yet confirmed their identities.
Investigators from the Civil Aviation Authority of Zimbabwe (CAAZ) have since travelled to the crash site to determine what caused the accident.
The aircraft went down in Nyoka Village, roughly 85 kilometres southeast of Masvingo.
Footage recorded at the scene showed debris from the plane scattered among trees and thick grass. Parts of the aircraft were torn apart, while a section of the fuselage was seen burning.
One eyewitness said the woman appeared to have been thrown out of the aircraft before it struck the ground. Both of her legs were reportedly broken and she was taken to hospital, though her condition remains unclear.
The pilot, however, remained trapped in the wreckage and suffered extensive burns to the lower part of his body reaching up to his chest. He died before rescuers could remove him from the aircraft.
Authorities are expected to release an official statement on the crash on Monday.
