Congo crash bodies repatriated
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Thursday, July 08, 2010
The bodies of Australian mining tycoon Ken Talbot and 10 colleagues killed in a plane crash last month were flown out of the Congo on Wednesday.
The 11 coffins were placed outside the Congress Palace in the capital Brazzaville for a ceremony attended by Congolese officials and diplomats from Australia, Britain, Cameroon, France and the United States.
Also present were representatives of Talbot's Sundance Resources mining company and its Congolese and Cameroon offshoots, Congo-Iron and Cam-Iron.
The iron-ore mining group lost its entire board on June 19 when a chartered twin turboprop went down in Congo's thick jungle during a trip to visit company operations and meet government officials.
The dead were six Australians, two Britons, two French and one US national.
"Profound sympathy and eternal regret" read a message on a wreath in front of the coffin of Talbot, who had been one of Australia's richest men.
Congo's mining minister Pierre Oba offered his "deep sympathy and sincere condolences" and said the Perth-based Sundance Resources team had been loyal partners in Congo's battle against under-development.
He read out the names and functions of the deceased, who included Sundance chairperson Geoff Wedlock and chief executive Don Lewis.