The five British tourists who died in an aircraft crash in Malawi on Saturday while on an excursion had booked it independently of the operator’s itinerary.
Saddle Skedaddle director Paul Snedker said the five were part of an eight-person group taking a cycling holiday in the country who had decided to independently arrange a sight-seeing flight with Nyika Safari Company.
However tragedy struck when the Cessna aircraft they travelling in crashed in northern Malawi on Saturday. Although the official cause of the crash is yet to be established, bad weather is currently being blamed.
The five who died have been named as Daniel Turnberg, of north London – son of Labour peer Lord Turnberg; sales director Nigel Clout from Hemel Hampstead; Colin Smith and his wife Dawn Rollins of Norwich; and David Murrell, who is believed to be from Surrey.
Snedker said: “This is devastating news. Our thoughts and prayers are with the families during this terrible time. Skedaddle is a small company and the five who died had all been on previous trips with us. They were known and liked by our guides and numerous members of our team.
“Our priority now is to support the families involved as best we can. We are liaising closely with the relevant authorities and organisations whilst they carry out their investigations.”