DRC plane crash toll rises to 5
2006-07-08 21:58
Kinshasa - Three Russians and two citizens of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) died when a cargo plane crashed in the east of the country, said an airport spokesperson on Saturday, giving an updated toll.
"The three Russian crew members, a Congolese agent and a Congolese passenger died. They were the only people on board. There were no survivors," said Bikoro Nakaziba, director of Goma airport in the North Kivu region.
Charred corpses were pulled from the Antonov 12 plane, operated by the DRC private company Mango Airlines, after it had crashed near Sake, about 20km from Goma.
Nakaziba said the cause of the crash was not known but the black box flight recorder had been recovered and its data would be examined.
The United Nations-backed Okapi radio station said the plane had had engine failure and struck a hill as it lost altitude.
It said the plane's heavy cargo of vehicle parts and oil drums had caught fire on impact.