KINSHASA – An airliner ploughed into dense forest as it tried to land during a rainstorm in the Democratic Republic of Congo yesterday, killing 127 people on board, the Congolese transport ministry said.
There were 51 survivors, a ministry statement noted.
The crash at Kisangani international airport is the latest in a string of disasters in the vast country which has one of the worst air safety records in the world.
“The pilot tried to land but apparently they didn’t touch the runway,” Stavros Papaioannou, chief executive of Hewa Bora airline, said.
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Hewa Bora is on an EU list of airlines banned due to security concerns, as are all carriers certified in Congo. – (Reuters)