via Zim releases impounded US plane – DailyNews Live Tendai Kamhungira • 21 February 2016
HARARE – The Zimbabwean government has finally released a United States-based cargo plane that was impounded at the Harare International Airport last week, carrying millions of South African rands.
The aircraft was impounded after airport security authorities discovered blood on the plane, forcing them to make an inquiry which led to the discovery of a body, belonging to a suspected stowaway.
“The Zimbabwe Republic Police would like to confirm the release of the American-registered cargo aircraft owned by Western Global Airlines, a company based in Florida,” police spokesperson Charity Charamba said in a statement yesterday.
According to the police statement, the plane has since left for South Africa.
The plane was released together with the body after Zimbabwe said it had no obligation to bury the body.
“The body of the deceased and cargo have been released to the crew after it was established that there was nothing suspicious. Nothing from international law obliges Zimbabwe to be responsible for the burial, cremation or any disposal of the body,” Charamba said.
The police said a post-mortem was carried out on the body at Parirenyatwa Hospital, where no external and internal injuries were discovered. The body also did not have any bone fractures.
“The pathologists opinioned that the cause of death was asphyxia secondary to oxygen absence. Various specialists conducted varied tests on the body which include blood tests for DNA, Ebola, Yellow Fever, Zika analysis and toxicological, serological and histological examinations,” the police said.
The Zimbabwean police have since sent notices to the Interpol to alert other countries who might have received a report of a missing person.
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