Tragedy Strikes Again In The Diaspora
The Democratic Republic of Congo, formerly Zaire, has a dismal aviation record. There have been at least 24 plane crashes since last year -- nearly half of them involving Antonovs -- according to Aviation Safety Network. Ten of the crashes since October 4, 2006, have resulted in 61 deaths. Now, we have a new horror to contend with.
A plane crashed Tuesday in a northeastern province of the Democratic Republic of Congo, killing 78 people on board, a foreign ministry spokesman said.
The Hewa Bora Airways flight was heading from the eastern city of Goma to the capital, Kinshasa, when it crashed in North Kivu province near the Rwandan border, spokesman Antoine Ghonda said. Hewa Bora Airways is based in Kinshasa.
At least 30 people were killed last Thursday after a plane crashed in a poor, crowded suburb of Kinshasa right after takeoff, according to a Congolese Ministry of Information official.
All 22 on board the plane -- 16 passengers and six crew -- were killed, as well as up to eight people on the ground, according to Jean-Pierre Eale, an aide to the Democratic Republic of Congo's information minister.
However, U.N. peacekeeping spokesman Michel Bonnardeaux, citing police reports, said 25 people were killed and two aboard the plane survived -- a mechanic and a flight attendant who was in critical condition, The Associated Press reported.
The Antonov-26 crashed into at least one house near a crowded marketplace in the country's capital, Kinshasa, Congolese officials said.
The Russian Foreign Ministry said one of the plane's propellers broke off during takeoff and one of its wings was sheared off as it hit a bank of trees.
Several witnesses said the aircraft appeared to be missing a propeller before it crashed. "The plane clipped several treetops and hit the roofs of three houses, crashing onto its back with its tires in the air," Japhet Kiwa, who lives a few miles away from the airport.
The plane took off from Kinshasa International Airport, also known as N'Djili International Airport , near the Angolan border.
A plane crashed Tuesday in a northeastern province of the Democratic Republic of Congo, killing 78 people on board, a foreign ministry spokesman said.
The Hewa Bora Airways flight was heading from the eastern city of Goma to the capital, Kinshasa, when it crashed in North Kivu province near the Rwandan border, spokesman Antoine Ghonda said. Hewa Bora Airways is based in Kinshasa.
At least 30 people were killed last Thursday after a plane crashed in a poor, crowded suburb of Kinshasa right after takeoff, according to a Congolese Ministry of Information official.
All 22 on board the plane -- 16 passengers and six crew -- were killed, as well as up to eight people on the ground, according to Jean-Pierre Eale, an aide to the Democratic Republic of Congo's information minister.
However, U.N. peacekeeping spokesman Michel Bonnardeaux, citing police reports, said 25 people were killed and two aboard the plane survived -- a mechanic and a flight attendant who was in critical condition, The Associated Press reported.
The Antonov-26 crashed into at least one house near a crowded marketplace in the country's capital, Kinshasa, Congolese officials said.The Russian Foreign Ministry said one of the plane's propellers broke off during takeoff and one of its wings was sheared off as it hit a bank of trees.
Several witnesses said the aircraft appeared to be missing a propeller before it crashed. "The plane clipped several treetops and hit the roofs of three houses, crashing onto its back with its tires in the air," Japhet Kiwa, who lives a few miles away from the airport.
The plane took off from Kinshasa International Airport, also known as N'Djili International Airport , near the Angolan border.
A few minutes after takeoff, the plane experienced problems and began dumping fuel before establishing radio contact with the airport's tower, Eale said. Just as it radioed the tower, the plane crashed into the suburb of Masina, he said. [CNN]