Published 11:28 IST, November 25th 2019
Death toll rises to 29 after plane crashes in densely populated area of Congo
The death toll of the unfortunate plane that crashed on November 24 on takeoff in Congo’s eastern city of Goma has risen to 29, along with 16 injured people.
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The death toll has risen upto 29 in Congo after a plane crashed. The aircraft crashed into residential homes near Goma’s airport in the North Kivu province. North Kivu regional government said that one of the passengers among 19 survived.
16 injured taken to hospital
The plane crash survivor along with 16 injured people was taken to the nearby hospital. The Government in its recent statement revealed that the death toll rose from 23 to 29. Several photos and videos of the crash were posted on Twitter showing the burning aircraft and the people pouring buckets of water. The deputy transport minister Jacques Yuma Kipuya said that the plane crashed into two houses located near the airport. The aircraft hit the walls of the houses and is still stuck. The UN mission has deployed two fire engines to support rescue services in DR Congo.
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Aircraft was headed for Beni
The aircraft Dornier-228 was headed for Beni, which is located 350 kilometres (220 miles) in the north of Goma. In a sudden turn of events, while taking off, it crashed on the nearby populated area of Goma, which is located towards the east of the country. Heritier Said Mamadou, a staff member of the Busy Bee informed that there were 17 passengers on board along with two crew members. The flight took off at its usual time in the morning around 9 or 9:10am.
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Investigation underway
The governor of North Kivu was the first one to release an official statement about the crash along with the number of passengers on board. The investigation is still going on to ascertain the main cause behind the plane crash. One of the maintenance workers of Busy Bee told the international media that the crash happened due to technical problems. The rescue operation is still going on and the number of casualties on the ground is still unknown.
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10:58 IST, November 25th 2019