At least 30 people died Thursday in a plane crash shortly after takeoff from Kinshasa in the Democratic Republic of Congo, officials said.

A Congolese Ministry of Information official said all 22 people aboard the plane and eight people on the ground were killed when the plane crashed into a crowded neighborhood, CNN reported. The plane was carrying 16 passengers and a crew of six.

The plane had taken off from Kinshasa and was heading to Tshikapa when it crashed into a small house near a market, said Rashid Patel, a Congolese transportation official. The aircraft was owned by Air Sam and leased by a company named Malila.

The Aviation Safety Network reported the Democratic Republic of Congo, formerly known as Zaire, has a poor aviation record with at least 24 plane crashes since this date last year, CNN said. // Copyright 2007 by United Press International


Publication date: 04 October 2007   

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