Cargo plane crashes in Republic of Congo city, at least 19 dead

Cargo plane crashes in Republic of Congo city, at least 19 dead

2011-03-22 02:58:09 GMT+7 (ICT)

POINTE-NOIRE, REPUBLIC OF CONGO (BNO NEWS) -- Scores of people are feared to have been killed after a cargo plane crashed on Monday in the city of Pointe-Noire, the second-largest city in the Republic of Congo.

The country's National Agency of Civil Aviation and local officials said the Soviet Union-built Antonov An-12 cargo plane crashed in the densely populated district of Mvou-Mvou on Monday afternoon, killing at least 19 people. A total of four crew members were on board the plane, which was registered to Trans Air Congo.

Preliminary reports said the aircraft destroyed at least 20 homes and crashed into a school building when it came down, sparking a major fire at the scene. It was not immediately clear if there were students inside the school building when the accident happened.

The Russian embassy in Brazzaville confirmed that the four crew members on board were Russian, but had no information on their condition. Unconfirmed reports said at least one pilot survived the crash, while other reports indicated that several people may have been travelling as a passenger aboard the aircraft.

-- © BNO News All rights reserved 2011-03-22