British pilot killed in crocodile panic air crash

Here's another story about a disaster, a Brit and, this time an animal. The Daily Mail has the story (but others do too) about an escaped crocodile that caused a plane crash that killed a British co-pilot and 19 others on board. Apparently the croc wasn't a man-eating type but a smaller beast hidden in a big sports bag, from which the reptile escaped as the plane began its descent into Bandundu, in the Congo. Passengers panicked, rushed up to the front of the plane, which then became unsteady and nosedived to the ground. The croc survived, but was promptly attacked with a machete for causing the crash.

Now I have no clue about small planes crashing around the world, but I guess that we will never know unless there is a Brit on board. Given that this story included an animal content, it was bound to reach at least the offices of the Daily Mail. Am I being too cynical today? I'm told by non-British friends that the news in the UK is seen abroad as "Anglo-centric". I wonder if this was the only plane to go down in the Congo recently?

Posted in: Congo,media stories,plane crashes,press