Civilians and two generals among dead after army plane crashes into a residential area in the DRC.
Admin (with Agency Report)
At least 17 people, including senior military officials, have been killed when a Congolese army plane crashed in the southwest of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).
The plane was travelling to the capital, Kinshasa, from the southwestern city of Kikwit on Friday when it developed a technical fault and attempted to land in Kenge, in Kwango province.
“With no landing strip available in Kenge, the plane crashed into a residential plot,” said Remy Saki Bokinda, deputy governor of Kwango, adding that the aircraft caught fire after hitting the ground.
On Saturday, the deputy governor told reporters that contrary to an initial toll of 13 deaths, “we discovered 16 bodies of adults and the body of a baby, bringing the total to 17”.
He explained the number was revised upwards after the fire on the aircraft wreckage was brought under control.
In a statement, the Congolese army said two generals travelling on an official mission were among the victims: Lieutenant General Joseph Mutombo, first president of the High Military Court, and Lieutenant General Lucien-Rene Likulia, the military’s auditor general.
In a social media post, the president’s office said President Felix Tshisekedi instructed competent authorities to conduct a thorough investigation to establish the exact circumstances and causes of the accident.
The president extended “his most heartfelt condolences to the families and loved ones of the victims, as well as to all the security forces”.
The DRC, a vast, mineral-rich country in Central Africa, has endured decades of conflict, particularly along its eastern border with Rwanda, where several armed groups compete for control of lucrative mining areas.
The Congolese military has been battling a number of armed groups that have claimed key cities in the country since last year.