Thu, Oct 04, 2007
Latest Accident In Country Claims At Least 30
ANN REALTIME REPORTING 10.04.07 1045 EDT: A
Russian-made Antonov-26 turboprop is down in the Congo, resulting
in at least 30 casualties.
A Congolese Ministry of Information official told CNN the
aircraft went down shortly after takeoff in a poor suburb of
Kinshasha. The aircraft departed from Kinshasa International
Airport, also known as N'Djili International Airport, at around
1040 local time Thursday morning.
A few minutes after takeoff, the plane (file images of type
shown above and below) reportedly experienced unknown
technical problems. The plane's flight crew began dumping fuel in
anticiaption of a return to Kinshasha, according to officials.
The aircraft had just established contact with airport's tower
when it impacted a crowded neighborhood in Masina, according to
Jean-Pierre Eale, an aide to the Democratic Republic of Congo's
information minister.
The 22 passengers and crew onboard the Antonov were lost, in
addition to at least eight persons on the ground. Russia's
ITAR-Tass news agency reported the plane belonged to Congolese
carrier Africa 1, and had a Russian crew, according to the
Associated Press.
Thursday's accident is the latest to strike the beleaguered
Democratic Republic of Congo. In the past year, there have been 24
aircraft accidents, as tracked by Aviation Safety Network. Almost
half of those have involved Antonovs; 10 of the accidents have been
fatal, resulting in 61 deaths.
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