KENGE, Democratic Republic of Congo — At least 17 people, including two Congolese army generals, were killed when a military plane crashed into a residential area in southwest Congo on Friday, Al Jazeera reported, citing local officials and the army.
The aircraft was flying from Kikwit toward the capital, Kinshasa, when it developed a technical fault and tried to land at Kenge in Kwango province. “With no landing strip available in Kenge, the plane crashed into a residential plot,” Deputy Governor Remy Saki Bokinda said, adding that the aircraft caught fire. The death toll was revised upward Saturday to 16 adults and one baby after the fire was controlled.
The army said the dead included Lt. Gen. Joseph Mutombo, first president of the High Military Court, and Lt. Gen. Lucien-René Likulia, the military’s auditor general. President Félix Tshisekedi ordered a thorough investigation and extended condolences to victims’ families and the security forces.
Sources: Al Jazeera (with AP and Reuters)
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