KINSHASA — At least 17 people, including two senior military officials, were killed when a Congolese army plane crashed in the southwest of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), officials said.
The aircraft was travelling to the capital, Kinshasa, from the southwestern city of Kikwit on Friday when it developed a technical fault and attempted to land in Kenge, in Kwango province.
“With no landing strip available in Kenge, the plane crashed into a residential plot,” Kwango Deputy Governor Remy Saki Bokinda said, adding that the aircraft caught fire after hitting the ground.
The death toll was initially put at 13, but was revised to 17 on Saturday after the fire at the wreckage was brought under control.
“We discovered 16 bodies of adults and the body of a baby, bringing the total to 17,” Saki told reporters.
The Congolese army said two generals travelling on an official mission were among those killed.
They were identified as Lieutenant General Joseph Mutombo, first president of the High Military Court, and Lieutenant General Lucien-Rene Likulia, the military’s auditor general.
The office of President Felix Tshisekedi said the president had instructed the competent authorities to conduct a thorough investigation to establish the exact circumstances and cause of the crash.
Tshisekedi also extended “his most heartfelt condolences to the families and loved ones of the victims, as well as to all the security forces”.
The DRC, a mineral-rich country in Central Africa, has faced decades of conflict, particularly in its eastern region along the border with Rwanda, where armed groups have competed for control of lucrative mining areas.
The Congolese military has been battling several armed groups that have seized key cities in the country since last year.
