The entire board of Perth-based mining company Sundance Resources were among the 11 people killed when their twin turboprop CASA C212 plane crashed during a flight from Cameroon's capital Yaounde to Yangadou in Congo on Saturday.
The executives had been on their way to inspect Sundance's Mbalam iron ore project, near Yangadou.
"Ten bodies have been taken out of the wreckage. The search is continuing for the last," said Alphonse Pepa, of the Congolese Ministry of Transports and Civil Aviation.
Congolese civil aviation chief Michel Ambendet confirmed that the plane had been found at Dima, an area about 30km from Yangadou.
On board were Queensland mining magnate and Sundance non-executive director Ken Talbot, chairman Geoff Wedlock, chief executive Don Lewis, non-executive directors John Jones and Craig Oliver and company secretary John Carr-Gregg, brother of prominent Melbourne psychologist Michael Carr-Gregg.
Speaking to Radio 3AW this morning, Michael Carr-Gregg said his brother had a long history of work in the mining industry.
“He died doing something that he really loved doing and he was really passionate about it," Mr Carr-Gregg said.
“One consolation for the family is that he died doing something he really loved doing and was very passionate about it.
“He loved it and loved mining law … that was his passion."
Mr Carr-Gregg revealed the family had spent time in Africa in the 1960s and that John had recently revisited the family home.
“He'd been spending a lot of time there recently and on one of his recent trips to Africa he actually went back to Kenya to the house in which we grew up in back in 1966.
“He was very fond of Africa."
Mr Carr-Gregg also said he had told his brother some advice he had heard from 3AW breakfast presenter Ross Stevenson to “never get in an aeroplane that doesn’t begin with the number seven".
“But he didn’t listen. Maybe that is impossible advice in a place like West Africa.”
Also on board were Natasha Flason, a Frenchwoman based in Australia who worked for Talbot's private investment company the Talbot Group, American Jeff Duff who was working as a consultant to Sundance, a British citizen and the two pilots, one from France and the other from Britain.
The wreckage was found about midnight (Melbourne time) on the western ridge of the Avima Range in Congo, near the Gabonese border.
Sundance strategic adviser and former chairman George Jones said a 10km track would have to be carved out of the jungle to assist in recovery operations.
Diplomatic protocols required with the various African governments involved could further delay repatriation efforts.
"It could be as short as a week or two and it could possibly take considerably longer than that," Mr Jones said.
Foreign Minister Stephen Smith said the difficult recovery process would require patience from the victims' families.
"It will take longer than families would wish to repatriate the bodies," Mr Smith said.
"Unfortunately we have to brace ourselves for a painstaking period."
Mr Smith was confident there would be an exhaustive investigation of the crash although he noted the requirement for coordination and cooperation between Cameroon and Congo authorities "will have its own difficulties".
Mr Jones admitted it was against company policy for the entire executive to travel on the same plane.
Mr Jones said the group had planned to use two aircraft for the trip, including Talbot's personal plane, but the landing strip at their destination could not accommodate his aircraft.
"So the board obviously made the judgment in the circumstances (to use) the aircraft they had available," Mr Jones said.
"It was their judgment to go ahead with the flight."
Mr Jones told ABC Radio he had no information yet about the cause of the crash but the wreckage did not show signs of fire or an explosion.
Sundance said the crash site had been secured, with two Sundance contractors and a representative of the French military remaining with the bodies.
"Given fading light, the remainder of the French military and Sundance personnel have relocated to the Avima mining camp, 10km away, where they will remain overnight," the company said.
Cameroon's Communications Minister Issa Tchiroma Bakary speculated the plane may have hit a mountain.
"The cause might be, either they hit the top of a hill or the top of the trees, I don't know exactly," Mr Bakary said. "The area is very ... hilly."
The effort to recover the bodies will begin at first light (local time) today.
Sundance, an iron ore miner, has halted its African operations.
Late last night, Mr Jones was appointed to lead an interim board and vowed to press ahead with its Mbalam iron ore project on the border of Cameroon and Congo in honour of the executives.
He said the tragedy was a colossal setback but one that would not "mortally wound Sundance".
Mr Jones, who appointed the majority of the missing executives to their roles in his previous role as chairman, said the interim board would be seeking an urgent meeting with shareholders.
Mr Talbot, a truck driver's son, first made his fortune through a network of pubs before founding mining company Macarthur Coal. He left Macarthur over corruption charges and was due to go on trial in August.
Company chairman Wedlock was an ex-head of BHP Billiton's iron ore division, while Flason Brian was an executive with Talbot's resources investment company, Talbot Group.
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