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DR Congo: Many dead as plane crashes into homes | DR Congo: Many dead as plane crashes into homes |
(about 1 hour later) | |
At least 27 people have died after a passenger plane crashed into houses in the city of Goma in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, local officials say. | |
The victims included nine people from the same family who were in one of the houses hit in the Mapendo area. | |
The small aircraft went down shortly after taking off from the city's airport on Sunday morning. The cause of the crash is still unclear. | |
The plane was carrying 17 passengers and two crew members, officials say. | |
Air accidents are relatively frequent in DR Congo amid lax safety standards and poor maintenance, and all the country's commercial carriers are banned from operating in the European Union. | Air accidents are relatively frequent in DR Congo amid lax safety standards and poor maintenance, and all the country's commercial carriers are banned from operating in the European Union. |
What is known about the air disaster? | What is known about the air disaster? |
The Dornier-228 twin-turboprop aircraft - owned by private carrier Busy Bee - crashed about a minute after take-off, a source at Goma airport told the BBC. | The Dornier-228 twin-turboprop aircraft - owned by private carrier Busy Bee - crashed about a minute after take-off, a source at Goma airport told the BBC. |
The plane had been scheduled to fly to Beni, 350km (220 miles) north of Goma. | The plane had been scheduled to fly to Beni, 350km (220 miles) north of Goma. |
A witness, Djemo Medar, said he saw the plane "spinning three times in the air and emitting a lot of smoke". | |
"When the plane crashed many of us rushed there, we know the pilot, his name is Didier; he was shouting 'Help me, help me', but we had no way to get to him because the fire was so powerful," he told Reuters news agency. | |
Sources said the plane experienced engine failure right after take-off, the BBC's Emery Makumeno reports from the capital, Kinshasa. | |
It was not immediately known how many residents were in their homes when the plane crashed. | It was not immediately known how many residents were in their homes when the plane crashed. |
North Kivu regional governor Nzanzu Kasivita offered his condolences to the families of survivors. | |
The BBC has contacted Busy Bee for comment. | The BBC has contacted Busy Bee for comment. |