Interview with Foreign Minister Stephen Smith by David Koch and Melissa Doyle on Sunrise, Channel 7
Topic: Search for mining executives charter plane
Transcript, proof copy E&OE
21 June 2010
MELISSA DOYLE: Now, back to the search for a plane carrying Australian mining executives that's disappeared in Africa. Eleven people were on board. Six are Australians from mining company Sundance Resources which had chartered the plane.
Foreign Affairs Minister Stephen Smith has the very latest for us. Good morning to you.
STEPHEN SMITH: Good morning, Mel.
MELISSA DOYLE: Now, you've just made contact with our High Commissioner from Nigeria who is coordinating Australia's response. What have you learnt?
STEPHEN SMITH: It's now night-time in Cameroon, just about 10 o'clock where our High Commissioner is. We have a second officer who's just arrived to render assistance.
A search was conducted today. There's no conclusive findings or evidence from the search so the search will continue again at first light tomorrow and that's with a number of fixed wing aircraft and also with helicopters.
So there's been no conclusive result from the search today, West Africa time. It'll continue tomorrow, but obviously we are very concerned about the safety and wellbeing of the six Australian mining executives.
MELISSA DOYLE: Absolutely. Because they were due to - due to land on Saturday. You said fixed wing aircraft and helicopters, are you confident Cameroon has the necessary search capabilities?
STEPHEN SMITH: The Cameroon authorities, as you'd expect, are directing the search effort. They're doing that in very close consultation with Sundance Resources. I took the opportunity late last night of also speaking to Sundance Resources' Chief Financial Officer who is helping to run affairs out of Perth in the absence of the missing board members. But Sundance Resources have got a good input into the search itself and they are complementing the search with their own helicopter.
They've also received offers of assistance from other mining companies in terms of using other mining companies' helicopters. So at this stage we're satisfied that the resources which either have been or will be allocated for the search are appropriate, but it's very difficult terrain - jungle, rainforest and the like - so no one should underestimate the difficulties, the potential difficulties of the search and trying to identify the whereabouts of the plane.
MELISSA DOYLE: And can you tell us anything more? Do you know much more about the plane, the company that own the plane, the weather conditions?
STEPHEN SMITH: Well, I'm told that when the flight took off there were some patches of cloudy weather. The plane itself was a charter flight from a Congo charter company, a fixed wing aircraft.
The original reports were that there were nine on board - nine passengers on board and one crew. We're now able to confirm nine passengers on board and two crew, so 11 all-up but six Australians missing.
But it was a charter aircraft flying from Cameroon to the Congo and we'll have to obviously await the completion of the search before we can make any judgments about the reasons for the disappearance of the plane.
MELISSA DOYLE: Of course. Well, we wish everybody involved in that search the very, very best. Stephen Smith, thank you very much for the update. We do appreciate your time this morning.
STEPHEN SMITH: Thanks, Mel. Thanks very much.
ENDS
Media inquiries
- Minister's Office: (02) 6277 7500
- Departmental Media Liaison: (02) 6261 1555