Plane crashes in Comoros, 14 missing

Rescuers in the Indian Ocean archipelago of Comoros are searching for 14 passengers and crew on a Tanzania-registered light aircraft which crashed over the weekend, the plane's owner says.

The Cessna Caravan plane, which was on a short-term lease to a Comoran operator, plunged into the sea on Saturday as it flew between the capital Moroni and the city of Fomboni, local media reported.

Searchers and rescuers spotted what looked like floating debris in the sea at lunchtime on Monday, Mohammed Mazrui, the managing director of Fly Zanzibar which owns the plane, told Reuters.

There had been no reports of any technical faults during the flight, Mazrui said, making them suspect that bad weather had caused the crash.

Fly Zanzibar, which has owned the aircraft since 2016, usually ferries tourists around Tanzania in charter flights.

Those aboard the missing plane include 12 Comoran passengers and two Tanzanian pilots, Tanzanian media reported.