Crash in Congo: 1 Russian, 2 Ukrainians die

An Antonov cargo plane has crashed in the Democratic Republic of Congo, killing all 3 people on board.

Earlier reports had suggested up to 13 people may have been travelling on the plane.

The Head of the consular department of the Russian Embassy in Kinshasa, Aleksey Turchanovich, brought us more details.

“Yesterday a local Congolese plane from the company GLBC crashed in Eastern Congo. It was AN-32 on the cargo route Goma – Kongolo – Goma. On the twelfth minute of the way back, one of the engines failed and the captain made a decision to go back to Kongolo. While landing, due to strong  wind and poor visibility the overloaded plane hit tree-tops and fell to the ground. One Russian flight engineer, Valery Ryzhankov, and two Ukrainian crew members died. An investigation team flew from Goma to the site to investigate the case and transport the bodies to Goma,” commented Aleksey Turchanovich.