UN plane crashes while trying to land in DR Congo?s capital - 32 deaths

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UN plane crashes while trying to land in DR Congo?s capital

4 April 2011 ? Fears are growing for the fate of more than 30 people on board a United Nations plane which has crashed today as it attempted to land at the main civilian airport in the capital of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).

The plane had been travelling from the north-eastern city of Kisangani and was trying to land in Kinshasa, according to Pelle Kipela Mondo, deputy editor-in-chief of Radio Okapi, which is co-managed by the UN peacekeeping mission in the DRC (known as MONUSCO).

He told the UN News Centre that the plane was thought to be carrying 29 passengers. Four crew members are also believed to have been on board.
Media reports indicate that the crash occurred about 1 p.m. local time and that there was torrential rain in Kinshasa at the time.
Mr. Kipela Mondo said MONUSCO staff are now at the scene to help with possible rescue efforts and to investigate the cause of the accident.

http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=37995&Cr=Democratic&Cr1=Congo

 

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Re: UN plane crashes while trying to land in DR Congo?s capital

Re: UN plane crashes while trying to land in DR Congo?s capital

UN Confirms 10 Killed In Congo Crash

by The Associated Press
UNITED NATIONS April 4, 2011, 12:12 pm ET

A small passenger plane carrying U.N. staff members crashed Monday in Congo and broke into pieces, killing at least 10 people aboard, United Nations officials said.

A U.N. peacekeeping source speaking on condition of anonymity in New York said that the death toll could rise. He said the plane was carrying an assortment of U.N. staff, including peacekeepers.

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http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=135113436

 

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Re: UN plane crashes while trying to land in DR Congo?s capital - At least 20 dead

Re: UN plane crashes while trying to land in DR Congo?s capital - At least 20 dead

UPDATE 1-U.N. plane crashes in Congo, at least 20 dead

Mon Apr 4, 2011 12:23pm EDT
(Adds details, Congo official)
By Jonny Hogg

KINSHASA, April 4 (Reuters) - A United Nations plane crashed while trying to land at the airport serving Congo's capital Kinshasa on Monday, killing least 20 people, a government official said.

The plane lost control in high winds as it came in to land and left the runway, the Health Ministry official, Joseph Kiboko, said.

He told Reuters that at least 20 of the 32 passengers and three crew had died:

.../
http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/04/04/congo-democratic-crash-idUSLDE73320020110404

 

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Re: UN plane crashes while trying to land in DR Congo?s capital - 26 killed, 6 hurt

Re: UN plane crashes while trying to land in DR Congo?s capital - 26 killed, 6 hurt

U.N. Staffers Killed In Congo Plane Crash

by The Associated Press
April 4, 2011

A top Congolese aviation official says that 26 people aboard a U.N. plane have died in a crash in Congo.

U.N. staff members were on the plane, including peacekeepers. The cause of the crash upon landing in the capital, Kinshasa, was not immediately known.

The top official says that six other people were hurt in the crash Monday.

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http://www.npr.org/2011/04/04/135114159/u-n-staffers-killed-in-congo-plane-crash

 

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Re: UN plane crashes while trying to land in DR Congo?s capital - 32 deaths

U.N. plane crashes in Congo, killing 32, official says

<!--endclickprintinclude--><!--startclickprintexclude-->By the CNN Wire Staff<SCRIPT type=text/javascript>cnnAuthor = "By the CNN Wire Staff";</SCRIPT>
<SCRIPT type=text/javascript>if(location.hostname.indexOf( 'edition.' ) > -1) {document.write('April 4, 2011 -- Updated 2104 GMT (0504 HKT)');} else {document.write('April 4, 2011 5:04 p.m. EDT');}</SCRIPT>April 4, 2011 5:04 p.m. EDTApril 4, 2011 -- Updated 2104 GMT (0504 HKT)


(CNN) -- One person survived the crash of a U.N. plane that killed 32 others in the Congo on Monday, U.N. spokesman Farhan Haq said.

Full text:
http://edition.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/africa/04/04/un.congo.crash/index.html

 

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Re: UN plane crashes while trying to land in DR Congo?s capital - 32 deaths

More than 30 people perish in UN plane crash in DR Congo

N?Djili airport in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo

4 April 2011 ? Only one person out of 33 passengers and crew members has survived a United Nations plane crash today at the main airport in the capital of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).

The plane, which had been travelling from the north-eastern city of Kisangani, was attempting to land in heavy rain at N?Djili airport in Kinshasa when it crashed about 1.30 p.m. local time after missing the runway.

Alain Le Roy, the Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations, told journalists that initial indications were that bad weather was a key factor in the accident.

The UN peacekeeping mission in the DRC (MONUSCO) reported that the plane was carrying 29 passengers and four crew members. All but five of the passengers worked for the UN, with the others working for international organizations or non-governmental organizations (NGOs).

Most of the UN staff on board worked for MONUSCO but some were serving with UN agencies.

Ambassador Rafael Osorio of Colombia, which holds the rotating presidency of the Security Council this month, said the Council?s 15 members expressed their ?profound sorrow.? He offered his deepest condolences to the families of the victims.

MONUSCO has set up a task force in the wake of the crash to lead the investigation and determine what follow-up actions are needed.

Counsellors are being provided for affected staff and a hotline is also being established for the families and friends of the crash victims.

The peacekeeping mission said the names of the victims will be released after their bodies have been positively identified and the next of kin informed.

http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=37995&Cr=Democratic&Cr1=Congo