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At least 17 people, including two senior military officials, have been killed after a Congolese army plane crashed in southwestern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).
The aircraft was travelling from Kikwit to the capital, Kinshasa, on Friday when it developed a technical fault and attempted to land in Kenge, Kwango province.
Kwango Deputy Governor Remy Saki Bokinda said the area had no landing strip, causing the plane to crash into a residential plot and catch fire.
“With no landing strip available in Kenge, the plane crashed into a residential plot,” Remy Saki Bokinda said.
The death toll was initially put at 13, but authorities revised the figure to 17 on Saturday after firefighters brought the wreckage under control and more bodies were recovered.
Bokinda said 16 adult bodies and the body of a baby had been found.
The Congolese army in a statement confirmed that Lieutenant General Joseph Mutombo, the first president of the High Military Court, and Lieutenant General Lucien-Rene Likulia, the military’s auditor general, were among those killed.
President Felix Tshisekedi has directed the relevant authorities to conduct a thorough investigation into the crash and establish its exact cause and circumstances, according to his office.
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The president also expressed condolences to the victims’ families and the country’s security forces.
The DRC has endured decades of conflict, particularly in its eastern regions bordering Rwanda, where armed groups have fought for control of mineral-rich areas.
The Congolese military has also been battling several armed groups that have captured key cities in parts of the country since last year.
