Mozambique Airlines plane carrying 34 missing in Namibia

WINDHOEK (Reuters) - A Mozambique Airlines flight carrying 34 people en route to Angola has gone missing over northeast Namibia and authorities were searching a game park on Saturday for signs of the plane.

Flight TM 470 left Maputo on Friday for the Angolan capital of Luanda with 28 passengers and six crew members on board when it lost contact with air traffic controllers, the airline said in a statement.

Namibian Police Force Deputy Commissioner Willy Bampton said police were searching for the plane in the Bwabwata National Park in the Kavango East region.

"There is no official confirmation of wreckage found yet," he said.

An investigator at Namibia's aircraft investigation unit said the search started on Friday but was called off due to bad weather. The remote area is home to wildlife including elephants and lions.

Mozambican media quoted Transport Ministry officials as saying the plane was an Embraer SA 190. Heavy rain had been reported in the region when contact was lost.

Chinese news agency Xinhua said one Chinese national was on the plane, citing the Chinese Embassy in Mozambique. Also among the passengers were 10 Mozambicans, nine Angolans, five Portuguese, one French and one Brazilian, Xinhua said, citing the airline.

The flight left the Mozambican capital of Maputo at 1126 (0926 GMT) on Friday and had been due to arrive in Luanda at 1400.