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Cronje dies in plane crash

JOHANNESBURG JUNE 1. The disgraced former South African cricket captain, Hansie Cronje, banned from the sport after a matchfixing scandal, was killed today when the cargo plane he was travelling in crashed into a mountain range. He was 32.

The plane, carrying three persons, crashed outside the city of George, 500 km east of Cape Town.

South African Sports Ministry officials told the South African Press Association (SAPA) that Mr. Cronje was killed in the crash.

``We have heard the news, we are still trying to recover. It's a shock,'' said Graham Abrahams, Sports Ministry spokesman.

Rescue workers were dropped off by helicopter and propelled down a crag in the mountain to reach the crash victims on the ground.

Doctors at the scene confirmed that all three persons on board the plane were killed, SAPA reported.

Mr. Cronje's relatives said the plane left Bloemfontein, 400 km south of Johannesburg, for George early on Saturday but was unable to land due to bad weather conditions and crashed at about 0500 GMT.

It appears that while the pilot tried to circle before attempting a landing he crashed into the rugged Outeniqua mountains.

Mr. Cronje was banned for life from the game by the United Cricket Board of South Africa in 2000. The decision was later endorsed by the game's governing body, the International Cricket Council, after he admitted to having taken money to fix matches involving South Africa.

Indian officials said they had tape recordings of him talking with an Indian bookmaker during the team's tour of the subcontinent. Several teammates later told a government commission that Mr. Cronje conveyed to them an offer in 1996 of up to $ 350,000 to lose a one-day game against India. Mr. Cronje denied that, but admitted receiving $ 100,000 from gamblers in exchange for match information and conveying other offers from gamblers to teammates to perform badly.

India to close case

PTI reports from New Delhi:

The match-fixing case against Mr. Cronje would be closed following his death, a Delhi Police source said. ``Now that he is no more, the case against him will be closed.''

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