Zimbabwe officials say report of Boeing 767 was false, only part of a training drill

Officials: Zimbabwe plane report only a drill

HARARE, Zimbabwe — Zimbabwean aviation officials misinformed news organizations Thursday that a Boeing 767 arriving from London was involved in an accident at Harare’s airport, then told journalists rushing to the scene it was only a drill.

David Chawota, head of the Zimbabwe Civil Aviation Authority, said the information was given out to make the drill realistic.

“Telling the media was part of the exercise. We wanted to see how the media would react,” he told a news conference at the main Harare International airport.

“In the event, the drill was a success because all our systems worked perfectly. Police, security and hospital staff reacted swiftly” along with the media, he said.