Investigation launched into Congo plane crash killing 21
Wednesday, 16 Apr 2008 13:17
The plane went down in eastern DR Congo
An investigation has been launched into the cause of the plane crash which killed at least 21 people in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) yesterday.
The aircraft carrying 85 people crashed in the town of Goma, located in the east of the country, on Tuesday.
The DC-9 aircraft, chartered by Hewa Bora Airlines, had been en-route to Kisangani in central Congo.
Stavros Papaioannou, chairman of Hewa Bora, said that the aircraft's crew heard an explosion at the back of the plane as it attempted to reach the speed required for take-off.
"It needed to reach 126 knots to take off. The pilot braked, but the runway was wet, the aircraft skidded and he lost control," Mr Papaioannou said.
Just last week the
European Union (EU) added the company to its list of airlines banned from flying in the EU.
Eyewitness reports claim the plane never properly left the third runway at Goma's airport.
Yesterday, UN staff visited two local hospitals to find 55 of the passengers being treated, with six believed to be in a serious condition.
Dirk Cramers, one of Hewa Bora's directors, told the Reuters news agency: "We have managed to save most of the passengers who have been evacuated to hospitals."
The DRC has an extremely poor aviation safety record. One crash last year killed 50 in the capital, Kinshasa.