JOHANNESBURG, Oct 6, 2008 (AFP) - South African rescue workers were searching for a light aircraft that went missing in a mountainous region of the northeastern province of Mpumalanga, a spokesman said Monday.

'We cannot say whether the passengers are still alive... rescue workers conducted a ground search throughout the night but nothing has been found yet,' Santjie White, a spokesman for the South African Search and Rescue Organisation, told AFP.

'At this stage we cannot say how many people were on board,' he said, adding the workers would resume their search as soon as misty weather clears up.

The plane took off Sunday from the airport serving the world-famous Kruger National Park, heading for the town of Tempe.

The pilot lost contact with air traffic controllers and failed to arrive at his destination, according to the Aeronautical Rescue Co-ordination Centre.

In February, two people were killed in a micro aircraft accident in the central province of Free State region.