Congo plane crash kills ‘at least 30’ in Goma
A United Nations helicopter flies over the Lake Kivu as M23 rebels walk along the shore in the city of Goma in the east of the Democratic Republic of the Congo on November 20, 2012. Rebels in the DRC claimed control of the main town of Goma and its airport, in the mineral-rich east, as President Joseph Kabila urged people to defend the country’s sovereignty.
Congolese officials on Monday told the Associated Press at least 36 people were killed when a plane crashed in the eastern city of Goma.
The death toll could climb, however. "We estimate there could be between 30 and 50 deaths," local governor Julien Paluku told Agence-France Press, according to BBC News.
The plane was coming in from the central mining town of Lodja when it crashed during landing in Goma in bad weather, said The Australian.
"The pilot managed to avoid houses," Goma mayor Naasson Kubuya said, according to AP, claiming only four of the 40 passengers survived the crash. "It's a horrifying accident. The city of Goma has become a field of disasters. We sympathize with the families of the deceased."
The Democratic Republic of Congo's airline safety record is so problematic that the European Union banned their airlines from entering their airspace, reported BBC.
No additional information on the Goma crash was immediately available.