A military plane crashed in a fireball in the Democratic Republic of Congo on Friday, killing everyone on board, including two senior military officials.
The aircraft was traveling from Kikwit to the capital, Kinshasa, when it developed a technical problem and attempted an emergency landing in Kenge, the capital of Kwango province in southwestern Congo. Instead, the plane came down in a residential area and burst into flames.
Congolese military officials later said at least 14 people were killed, including Lieutenant General Mutombo Katalayi Tiende, head of the military court, and Lieutenant General Bakumi Likulia, the armed forces’ auditor general. Twelve other members of the delegation and crew also died, according to the military.
Earlier reporting from Kwango Vice Governor Remy Saki Bokinda had placed the death toll at 13, including three army officers, showing that authorities were still reconciling the passenger count in the hours after the crash.
Bokinda said the pilot apparently realized the aircraft was in trouble and tried to bring it down in Kenge.
But there was no landing strip available.
“With no landing strip available in Kenge, the plane crashed into a residential plot,” Bokinda told Reuters.
Miraculously, there were no confirmed deaths among people on the ground despite the aircraft coming down in a populated area, according to aviation reports.
Images and video from the aftermath showed flames and thick black smoke pouring from the wreckage as residents rushed toward the crash site.
The scene was devastating.
Bokinda said 12 victims were burned beyond recognition, while the pilot’s body was found outside the aircraft.
The aircraft has been identified in aviation reporting as a Let L-410 twin-engine turboprop operated by Tracep Congo Aviation on a military flight.
The group aboard the plane had reportedly been returning from an official mission in Kikwit when the emergency unfolded.
The exact nature of the technical malfunction has not yet been determined.
Congolese authorities have opened an investigation into the crash, with the country’s aviation accident investigators expected to examine the wreckage and circumstances surrounding the attempted emergency landing.
The disaster is another painful reminder of the aviation risks facing the vast Central African country, where air travel is often essential because major cities can be separated by enormous distances and road infrastructure remains limited in many areas.
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