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| Plane crash in Democratic Republic of Congo leaves many dead | Plane crash in Democratic Republic of Congo leaves many dead |
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| Twenty-three bodies recovered after plane crashes in densely populated area of city of Goma | Twenty-three bodies recovered after plane crashes in densely populated area of city of Goma |
| Twenty-three bodies have been recovered after a small plane crashed on takeoff into a densely populated area of the city of Goma in the Democratic Republic of Congo, rescue workers said. | Twenty-three bodies have been recovered after a small plane crashed on takeoff into a densely populated area of the city of Goma in the Democratic Republic of Congo, rescue workers said. |
| “We are up to 23 bodies now,” Joseph Makundi , the rescue service coordinator, told AFP. | “We are up to 23 bodies now,” Joseph Makundi , the rescue service coordinator, told AFP. |
| The dead are believed to include all those onboard the plane as well as people on the ground. | The dead are believed to include all those onboard the plane as well as people on the ground. |
| Images from the scene showed plumes of black smoke and flames apparently from the burning plane as locals looked on. | Images from the scene showed plumes of black smoke and flames apparently from the burning plane as locals looked on. |
| Rescue workers were also seen combing through the plane’s burnt-out fuselage. | Rescue workers were also seen combing through the plane’s burnt-out fuselage. |
| Richard Mangolopa, a Goma airport official, said no survivors were expected from the disaster. | Richard Mangolopa, a Goma airport official, said no survivors were expected from the disaster. |
| The Dornier-228 aircraft had been heading to the city of Beni, 220 miles (350km) north of Goma, in the east of the country, when it went down in a residential area near the airport. | |
| “There were 17 passengers on board and two crew members. It took off around 9am (7am GMT),” Heritier Said Mamadou, a Busy Bee airline staff member, said. | |
| Busy Bee, a recently established company, has three planes serving routes in the North Kivu province. | Busy Bee, a recently established company, has three planes serving routes in the North Kivu province. |
| One of the company’s maintenance workers at the site quoted by news site actualite.cd blamed a “technical problem” for the crash. | One of the company’s maintenance workers at the site quoted by news site actualite.cd blamed a “technical problem” for the crash. |
| The exact number of casualties was not yet known. | The exact number of casualties was not yet known. |
| The UN mission deployed in DR Congo, Monusco, sent two fire engines to support local rescue services. | The UN mission deployed in DR Congo, Monusco, sent two fire engines to support local rescue services. |
| Aircraft accidents are common in the vast, conflict-wracked central African country, in particular involving Antanov planes. Last month, an Antonov 72 cargo plane that was providing logistical assistance for a trip by the DRC president, Félix Tshisekedi, and carrying eight crew and passengers, went missing after taking off from Goma. | |
| In September 2017, an Antonov cargo plane chartered by the army crashed near the capital Kinshasa, killing all 12 people on board. | |
| The country’s deadliest Antonov disaster was in January 1996 when an overloaded plane overshot the runway in Kinshasa and crashed into a market, killing hundreds on the ground. | The country’s deadliest Antonov disaster was in January 1996 when an overloaded plane overshot the runway in Kinshasa and crashed into a market, killing hundreds on the ground. |
| Goma is the capital of North Kivu province. Beni, the plane’s destination, has been at the epicentre of an Ebola outbreak that has killed more than 2,000 people in the last year. | Goma is the capital of North Kivu province. Beni, the plane’s destination, has been at the epicentre of an Ebola outbreak that has killed more than 2,000 people in the last year. |