Chinelo Obogo, Lagos
A plane carrying about 19 passengers and crew crashed shortly after take off into a densely populated area of Goma in the Democratic Republic of Congo on Sunday.
According to Reuters, the Dornier-228 aircraft had been headed for Beni, 350 kilometres (220 miles) north of Goma when it went down. It crashed into a residential area near Goma airport.
“There were 17 passengers on board and two crew members. It took off around 9-9.10 am (0700 GMT),” Busy Bee airline staff member Heritier Said Mamadou said.
Busy Bee, a new airline company, has three planes serving routes in North Kivu province.
It was learnt that the plane crash resulted in several deaths. Residents on the ground, including four family members, were among the victims.
Reuters estimates at least 24 casualties in all.
Air accidents are relatively frequent in DR Congo amid lax safety standards and poor maintenance, and all the country’s commercial carriers are banned from operating in the European Union.
The cause of the crash is still unclear, but some sources say the plane experienced engine failure right after take-off, according to the BBC.
Rescue workers and local residents rushed to the crash site to evacuate the injured and also retrieve the bodies.
It was not immediately known how many residents were in their homes when the plane crashed.
