Hampshire plane crash leaves Bin Laden family members dead
On Friday, four people on a private jet who died after it crashed in southern England were reportedly the family members of Al-Qaeda leader Osama Bin Laden. While taking off from the Blackbushe Airport in Hampshire, the jet crashed into a car auction that was held in the afternoon.
The Embraer Phenom 300 jet, which is believed to have originated from Milan-Malpensa Airport in Italy , came down after overshooting the runway and clipping a fence, sparking a huge blaze.
The news of the deaths was confirmed by Prince Mohammed bin Nawaf Al Saud, Saudi Arabia’s ambassador to Britain."His royal Highness Prince Mohammed bin Nawaf bin Abdul Aziz, the ambassador of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques to the United Kingdom, offered his condolences to the sons of the late Mohammed bin Laden and their relations for the grave incident of the crash of the plane carrying members of the family at Blackbushe airport," he wrote in the country’s official Twitter feed.
Al-Hayat newspaper, a Saudi-based Media Company, while citing a statement by the Saudi General Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA), mentioned on its website the crash of the same jet with three passengers and the pilot. However, the statement did not verify the victims' identity.
The embassy said it has started working with British authorities to investigate the cause of crash, ensuring a speedy handover of the bodies for last rituals. Meanwhile, it was reported that Bin Laden’s stepmother Rajaa Hashim, sister Sana and her husband Zuhair Hashim were among the dead.
An immediate investigation has been launched to find out the cause of the incident, a spokesman of Hampshire police service said . Members from Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) confirmed it was "aware" of the incident and was making way for quick investigations.
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