By Daniel Itai.
Goma, DRC (News of The South)- A small passenger plane crashed shortly after takeoff on Sunday killing at least 29 people, including passengers, crew and people on the ground, in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
The 19 seater Dornier 228-200 had 16 passengers and two crew members on board. The aircraft was headed for the city of Beni, which is north of Goma, when it went down.
North Kivu regional governor Nzanzu Kasivita said, “at this stage, 29 bodies have been found in the rubble, the pilot failed in his takeoff.” The governor also conveyed his condolences.
Plane kills 29 in DRC
The United Nations mission in DRC sent an emergency crash and rescue team with two fire engines to support Congolese authorities with the fire.
In October, a cargo plane departing from Goma crashed an hour later after takeoff, killing all eight passengers and crew.
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 popular market, killing hundreds on the ground.
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