DR Congo Military Plane Crash Kills 14, Including Two Senior Generals
KENGE, DR CONGO — WEB DESK: At least 14 people, including two senior military officials, were killed after a Congolese military aircraft crashed into a residential property in the southwestern Democratic Republic of the Congo, authorities said.
The aircraft was returning to the capital Kinshasa from Kikwit on Friday when it developed a technical problem and attempted to land in Kenge, the capital of Kwango province.
Kwango Deputy Governor Remy Saki Bokinda said there was no suitable landing strip available in Kenge and the aircraft ultimately crashed into a residential plot.
The crash was followed by a fire, leaving much of the aircraft badly damaged.
All 14 People Aboard Killed
Congolese military spokesperson Major-General Efomi Ekenge confirmed that 14 people died in the accident.
The victims included civilians, military personnel and members of an official delegation travelling with two senior generals.
Authorities said most of the victims were badly burned, complicating identification efforts.
According to Ekenge, 12 of those killed were burned beyond recognition, while the pilot’s body was recovered outside the aircraft.
Initial reports had produced differing casualty figures, but the Congolese military subsequently put the confirmed death toll at 14.
Two Senior Military Officials Among Victims
Two high-ranking Congolese military judicial officials were among those killed.
They were identified in current reporting as Lieutenant General Mutombo Katalayi Tiende, head of the military court, and Lieutenant General Bakumi Likulia, auditor general of the armed forces.
The two generals were travelling as part of the delegation when the aircraft went down.
Their deaths add a significant military dimension to an accident that was initially reported primarily as an aviation disaster.
Aircraft Developed Technical Problem
Local authorities said the aircraft encountered a technical problem while returning from Kikwit to Kinshasa.
The crew attempted to make an emergency landing at Kenge, but the absence of a suitable landing strip complicated the situation.
Express News similarly reports that the aircraft developed a technical fault before crashing in the residential area.
However, the reported technical malfunction should not yet be treated as the formally established cause of the crash.
Authorities have opened an investigation to determine exactly what caused the aircraft to go down.
Crash Occurred in Residential Area
The aircraft came down inside a residential property in Kenge, raising immediate concerns about casualties on the ground.
Available reporting says the aircraft struck a residential plot after the attempted emergency landing.
The confirmed fatalities reported by military authorities were people aboard the aircraft. Initial authoritative reports reviewed for this article did not confirm additional fatalities among residents on the ground.
That distinction is important because early reports of major aviation accidents can contain rapidly changing casualty figures.
Investigation Launched
The Congolese military says an investigation has been launched to establish the cause of the crash.
Investigators are expected to examine the aircraft’s technical condition, the reported malfunction, flight operations and the circumstances surrounding the attempted emergency landing.
At this stage, authorities have not announced a final cause.
The most firmly established sequence is that the aircraft was travelling from Kikwit towards Kinshasa, developed a reported technical problem, attempted to land in Kenge and crashed into a residential property.
Congo Faces Wider Security Challenges
The accident comes as the Congolese armed forces remain involved in continuing security operations against several armed groups, particularly in the country’s east.
The Democratic Republic of the Congo has faced years of instability in its eastern provinces, where government forces have fought multiple armed organisations, including the Rwanda-backed M23 movement.
The aviation disaster occurred in the country’s southwest and there is no indication in current reporting that hostile action was responsible for the crash.
Authorities are treating the incident as an aviation accident while investigators work to determine its precise cause.
The key confirmed development is that a Congolese military aircraft crashed in Kenge after encountering a reported technical problem, killing all 14 people aboard, including two senior military officials.
