Sat, May 10, 2003
129 Feared Dead After Door Opens 33,000 Feet Over
Congo
Imagine this: You're crammed aboard a jet freighter, cruising
along at 33,000 feet, when the air is explosively sucked out of
your world. Somehow, the loading door has opened, exposing the
cabin to the thin, frigid air outside. In a heartbeat, everyone
around you is sucked through the open door, leaving nothing behind
but the determined sounds of struggle from those who remain.
That's apparently what happened aboard an IL-76 transport
carrying Congolese soldiers and members of their families. Somehow,
shortly after taking off from Kinshasa, the cargo door opened in
flight. The Congolese government confirms at least seven are dead.
Reuters reports said as many as 129 men, women and children were
sucked out of the aircraft and fell six miles to their deaths.
Pax: Cargo Ramp "Fell Off"
"Thirty-five minutes after takeoff, we heard a
loud noise inside the plane, like hissing, and then the ramp fell
off," a passenger named Katembo told Agence France-Presse from
Kinshasa General Hospital. "The aircraft swung from side to side,
and that's when the people fell out. Only the people who had the
reflex to reach for ropes on the walls were able to stay
inside."
The aircraft was painted in livery indicated it was owned by
Ukranian Cargo Airlines. Ownership of the aircraft - and
responsibility for its maintenance and operation - have not
officially been determined, according to a government official. The
pilot was reportedly able to reverse his course, safely descend and
land at Kinshasa.
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