At least 14 people killed, including 2 senior military officials as plane crashes in Congo

At least 14 people were killed, including 2 senior military officials as plane crashed in Congo, the military said on Friday. The two senior military officials who died in the incident include Lieutenant General Mutombo Katalayi Tiende, head of the military court, and Lieutenant General Bakumi Likulia, auditor general of the armed forces. “In addition to the two general officers, twelve members of the delegation and the crew members also lost their lives in this accident,” Major General Efomi Ekenge, spokesperson of the Congolese military, said in a statement.

Plane developed a technical fault and crashed in Kenge

The incident was reported when the plane was returning to the capital city, Kinshasa, from southwestern Kikwit when it developed a technical fault and crashed in Kenge where everyone on board died, according to local officials. Soon after the incident was reported an investigation has been initiated to determine the cause of the accident, Ekenge said.

Tryphon Kin-Kiey Mulumba, Chairman of the Board of the Civil Aviation Authority, said the cause of the crash is unknown. The development comes at a time when the Congolese military has been battling scores of rebel groups, including the Rwanda-backed M23 rebel group in the eastern region since last year, after a blitz of attacks that led to the rebel groups seizing key cities.

American military aircraft crashes in Germany

Earlier this week, one American military aircraft crashed at a US air base in western Germany on Tuesday, injuring the pilot, the American military said. The the US Air Base Spangdahlem in a statement said that the pilot ejected and was receiving medical care. However,. The air base did not give any further details.

The local German district, where Spangdahlem is located, earlier had said that fire and emergency teams responded to the incident. Meanwhile, the local authorities said they were unable to provide any further information about the accident. It should be noted that the Spangdahlem is home to an F-16 fighter jet squadron with about 20 aircraft, the German news agency dpa reported.

The squadron, which supports US Air Force and NATO missions worldwide, is the centrepiece of the air base. The base has about 5,000 military and civilian employees, plus their family members, according to the latest figures. The US air base also employs between 700 and 800 Germans.

In the meantime, US Air Force maintained a presence in Spangdahlem since the mid-1950s and apart from Ramstein near Kaiserslautern in southwestern Germany, Spangdahlem Air Base is considered one of the most important airfields for the US military in the region.

With inputs from AP

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