Monday, April 4, 2011

UN plane crash at Congo's Kinshasa airport

un plane crashesA United Nations plane has crashed at Kinshasa airport in the Democratic Republic of Congo, killing 32 of 33 people on board, the UN says. The CRJ-100 jet broke in two and burst into flames as it attempted to land in heavy rain.

It had reportedly flown from Goma via Kisangani in the north-east.
Twenty UN workers were listed as being on the plane, which had a Georgian crew and both Congolese and foreign nationals aboard.

The nationality of the lone survivor remains unknown. The UN Stabilisation Mission in the DRC, Monusco - previously known as Monuc - has been operating in the country since 1999, and its mandate is due to expire at the end of June. An estimated 5 million people died in what was dubbed "Africa's world war" between 1998 and 2003. The east of the country is still plagued by army and militia violence. Presidential and parliamentary elections are scheduled to take place in November.







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