Plane crash in Congo kills at least 70
Wednesday, April 16, 2008
- 27 June 2011: Funeral held for former Zambian President Frederick Chiluba
- 5 May 2011: DR Congo transport minister sacked after numerous boat accidents
- 18 October 2010: 'Enough, enough, enough, enough': 1700 women march against mass rape in DR Congo
- 30 July 2010: Up to 140 feared dead as boat sinks in DR Congo
- 10 June 2010: Two Norwegians sentenced to death in DR Congo
In Goma, on the eastern side of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), at least 70 people, according to officials, have died because when a McDonnell Douglas DC-9 crashed on take off yesterday.
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The whole top of the plane is ripped off and the two buildings next door are pretty much destroyed too. |  |
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—Naomi Schwarz |
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VOA has reported that as many as 100 people could have been on board the plane at the time of its crash.
A director of Hewa Bora Airways, the airline involved in the incident said that "we [the airline] have managed to save most of the passengers who have been evacuated to hospitals."
Naomi Schwarz, a journalist on the scene described the incident. "The whole top of the plane is ripped off and the two buildings next door are pretty much destroyed too. People are carrying buckets full of water to try to put out the fire. Just buckets they found on the streets," she said.
As of 08:00 UTC, the majority of the Hewa Bora website was not available.
Gallery
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A plane like the one involved in the crash
Image: Yaoleilei.
Sources
- "Plane Crashes at Takeoff in Congo" — Washington Post, April 16, 2008
- (French) "No title" — Hewa Bora Airways, Retrieved April 16, 2008
- Kari Barber. "More Than 70 Killed in Eastern DRC Plane Crash" — VOA News, April 15, 2008
