JOHANNESBURG, May 5 (Xinhua) -- Seven South Africans were onboard the Kenya Airways plane which crashed in Cameroon on Saturday morning, South Africa's Foreign Ministry spokesman Ronnie Mamoepa said.

    After being informed by the airline that there were South Africans on the KQ507 flight, the ministry urged relatives or friends of these passengers to contact the ministry, the SAPA news agency reported.

    The South Africans' names are not yet available. "The South African government extends heartfelt condolences to the Kenyan and Cameroonian authorities as well as the South African families," Mamoepa was quoted as saying. South Africa would also continue to support search and rescue efforts, he said.

    The Nairobi-bound 737-800 aircraft disappeared after takeoff from Cameroon's port city of Douala, emitted a distress signal and is reported to have crashed off the coast of Cameroon, airline spokesman Glenn Lewington said.

    Kenya Airways' Johannesburg office has set up an international passenger information center for information on flight KQ507 and public enquiries. A staff worker at the office told Xinhua that they are still waiting for the company to publish the full list of passengers.

Related:

Kenyan plane with 115 on board crashes in S Cameroon

This image provided by Boeing Aircraft shows a 737-800 in Kenya Airways colors. A Kenya Airways 737-800 crashed in southern Cameroon on Saturday May 5, 2007, state radio reported. (Xinhua/AFP Photo)

    YAOUNDE, May 5 (Xinhua) -- A Kenya Airways flight with 115 people aboard crashed on Saturday in a town between Nyede and Mvengue in the department of Ocean, southern Cameroon, Cameroonian national radio reported on Saturday.

    Taking off at 00:05 (local time) on May 5 from the largest port city of Douala in west Cameroon and was due to arrive in Nairobi at 06:15 on Saturday, the plane lost contact with the Doula airport a few minutes after its departure. Full story

    Official: Kenya Airways plane with 115 on board missing

    NAIROBI, May 5 (Xinhua) -- A plane of Kenya Airways with 115 people on board went missing on Saturday after taking off from Douala in west Cameroon, the company said.

    The flight KQ 507 operated by a B737-800 aircraft which departed from the largest port city of Douala in west Cameroon at 00:05 and was due to arrive in Nairobi at 06:15, said Kenya Airways in a press release on its website. Full story