Zimbabwe small plane crash kills 5, including 3 Finns flying to Victoria Falls

JOHANNESBURG -- Three Finnish nationals and two locals have died in the crash of a small private plane, Zimbabwe's state-run media said Saturday.

The Zimbabwe Herald reported that the plane crashed Friday in Masvingo en route to the popular tourist site of Victoria Falls.

Civil aviation authorities told the newspaper they were trying to determine the cause of the crash.

A district administrator, Roy Hove, confirmed the five deaths, telling the newspaper the bodies were "decapitated and mangled beyond recognition."

Police in a statement reported three deaths and said the plane crashed into a hillside. Finnish public broadcaster YLE cited Zimbabwe police spokesman Paul Nyathi as saying the foreign victims were aged 50, 51 and 53.

Finland's foreign ministry said it was unable to confirm yet whether Finns were among the dead. The Finnish Safety Investigation Authority said it had unsuccessfully tried to contact Zimbabwe authorities.

"This is a horrible tragedy," Finland's honorary counsel in Harare, Jim Ward, told Finnish tabloid Ilta-Sanomat. He said the purpose of the group's trip was unknown.

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Associated Press writer Jari Tanner in Helsinki, Finland contributed.