Johannesburg, July 11: One person has died and at least 20 others sustained injuries when a plane crashed near Wonderboom Airport in Pretoria, South Africa, officials said.

"Our medical services are currently on the scene. They've been treating the patients," Russel Meiring, a spokesperson for emergency service provider ER24, told Xinhua news agency.

ER24 will move the treated patients to nearby hospitals, he said.

Details of the cause of the crash on Tuesday are yet to be established, but authorities confirmed that the plane hit a factory building before crashing.

South African news outlet ENCA quoted an eyewitness saying: "I just saw something dropping down from the sky, but I didn't know what it was, and the next thing I saw was an explosion and a big bang."

The charted aircraft, Convair 340, belongs to the Dutch airline Martinair. It crashed shortly after take off from Wonderboom airport.

South African Civil Aviation Authority said it will issue a statement with further details on Wednesday.

 

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Mangaluru: A 57-year-old man has allegedly been cheated of Rs 10.55 lakh by online fraudsters who lured him into investing in a so-called digital gold trading platform through Instagram, Deccan Herald reported on Tuesday.

According to the complaint, the victim was browsing Instagram at his residence on November 12, 2025, when he received a message from an account named “Suhani Patel.” The accused initiated a friendly conversation and later persuaded him to invest in the “digital gold market,” promising high returns.

The accused subsequently shared a mobile number and sent a link via WhatsApp, asking the complainant to install an application called “Kanak Daam Exchange.” Following the instructions, the victim downloaded the app and registered.

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The accused told the complainant that all transactions would be handled through the app’s customer service. Following their instructions, the complainant contacted the customer service through the app and sent a message requesting US dollars in exchange for Indian rupees. He was then directed to transfer money to specific bank accounts provided by the accused.

Trusting the claims, the complainant transferred Rs 1,50,000, Rs 3,45,000 and Rs 5,60,000 in multiple transactions, amounting to a total of Rs 10,55,000.

Subsequently, the app displayed that his total investment had grown to Rs 60 lakh. However, when he attempted to withdraw the amount due to personal financial needs, the request was denied. On contacting customer service, he was informed that he would have to pay 30 per cent of the total amount as “tax” before any withdrawal could be processed.

Growing suspicious, the complainant reportedly consulted officials at Canara Bank, who advised him that it was a fraud and warned him not to transfer any more money. When he confronted the accused, the amount displayed in the app was allegedly reduced to zero, and he was blocked from further communication.

Despite further attempts to contact “Suhani Patel,” the accused allegedly continued to assure him that the lost money would be returned, before eventually blocking him.

The complainant stated that he was cheated between November 12, 2025 and February 27, 2026, and has urged police to take action against the fraudsters.

A case has been registered, and further investigation is underway.