Indian mining mogul, son killed in Zimbabwe plane crash
What's the story
Indian billionaire and mining tycoon Harpal Randhawa and his 12-year-old son Amer died in a plane crash on Friday that killed six people in Zimbabwe, reports said on Monday.
Their private aircraft crashed close to a diamond mine in the Zvamahande area of Mashava in southern Zimbabwe due to a technical fault.
The father and son were traveling from Harare to the Murowa diamond mine when the tragedy occurred.
Details
Details of fatal accident
The private Cessna 206 aircraft, owned by Randhawa's mining company RioZim, reportedly faced a technical issue that may have caused a mid-air explosion.
The plane then crashed into Peter Farm in Zvamahande.
Randhawa was the owner of RioZim, a diversified mining firm that was into the production of coal, gold, and refined copper and nickel. He also served as chairman of the GEM Group at the time of his death.
Accident
All onboard plane lost lives
There were six people, including passengers and crew, onboard the plane, and they all lost their lives in the mid-air accident, per iHarare.
The Herald reported that two of the deceased were Zimbabweans, while the others were foreigners.
"The Zimbabwe Republic Police reports a plane crash which occurred on September 29 between 7:30am and 8:00am, where six people are confirmed dead," the police reportedly said.
Death
Names of victims yet to be officially revealed
Zimbabwe's police authorities are yet to disclose the names of the plane crash victims.
However, Randhawa's friend and journalist-filmmaker, Hopewell Chin'ono, confirmed the demise of the father-son duo.
He also posted a memorial service notice on X on behalf of Randhawa's family and RioZim.
The memorial service will be held on Wednesday afternoon at Raintree in Harare.
Twitter Post
Here's what Chin'ono posted on X
The family of Harpal Randhawa who died with his son Amer on Friday in a plane crash, respectfully invite all his friends and associates to celebrate his life and that of his son Amer at a memorial service at Raintree on Wednesday the 4th of October, 2023.
— Hopewell Chin’ono (@daddyhope) October 1, 2023
Arrival time is 3PM.… pic.twitter.com/cWF0kPhe7G