Fourteen people, including senior military officials and civilians, have been killed after a Congolese army plane crashed into a residential area in south-western Democratic Republic of the Congo.
The aircraft was travelling from Kikwit to the capital, Kinshasa, on Friday when it developed a technical fault and attempted to land in Kenge, Kwango province.
There was no landing strip in Kenge, according to Remy Saki Bokinda, the province’s deputy governor. “With no landing strip available in Kenge, the plane crashed into a residential plot,” he said.
Major-General Efomi Ekenge, a military spokesperson, said everyone on board had died. Twelve bodies were burned beyond recognition, while the pilot was found dead outside the wreckage.
The victims included members of an official delegation travelling with two generals, as well as other military personnel and civilians, the military said.
Most of the bodies were burned beyond recognition, Mr Bokinda said, adding that the pilot had been found outside the aircraft.
An investigation has been opened to establish the cause of the crash, Major-General Ekenge said.
