Thirteen people including three army officers were killed this Friday when a military plane crashed in Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), an official said.
The plane was travelling to the capital, Kinshasa, from the southwestern city of Kikwit when it experienced a technical problem and attempted to land in Kenge, in Kwango province, said Remy Saki Bokinda, the Kwango Vice Governor. “With no landing strip available in Kenge, the plane crashed into a residential plot,” he said.
The passengers included General Likulia Bakumi, the army’s auditor general, as well as a major, a captain and other military personnel and civilians, Bokinda said.
“All those on board died; 12 were burned beyond recognition, while the pilot’s lifeless body was found outside the aircraft,” he said.
DRC’s aviation accident investigation authority is launching a probe of the crash, a government statement said.
DRC’s army suffered significant setbacks last year at the hands of Rwanda-backed AFC/M23 rebels who seized large swathes of the east.
–Reuters–
