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17 feared dead in Congo aid plane crash
The wreckage of an aid plane carrying 17 people has been found in Congo, the company operating the plane said.
The wreckage of an aid plane carrying 17 people has been found in Congo, the company operating the plane said Tuesday.
Air Serv, a humanitarian organisation that provides air transport for aid workers, said that an aerial survey pointed to no survivors.
"Search and rescue efforts were initiated early this morning... the aircraft has been found on a steep ridge eight miles northwest of Bukavu," the company said in a statement.
"Aerial survey by helicopter indicates that there are no survivors," it said.
Cristophe Illemassene, a spokesman for the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs in Congo, said that contact was lost with the plane Monday during bad weather.
The plane went down just minutes before it was due to land in Bukavu, in the east of the African nation.
Air Serv said the plane was carrying 15 passengers and two crew members.
The country has a poor safety record, forcing aid agencies to arrange their own transport much of the time.
