At least 17 die when air force plane crashes in Angola

At least 17 die when air force plane crashes in Angola

2011-09-15 02:25:30 GMT+7 (ICT)

LUANDA (BNO NEWS) -- At least 17 people were killed on late Wednesday morning when an Air Force plane crashed in central Angola, state-run media reported. Several people survived the accident.

The accident happened at around 11.30 a.m. local time when an Embraer 120 aircraft, which is capable of carrying around 33 people, crashed at Albano Machado Airport near Huambo, the capital of the province with the same name. It is unclear how many people were on board.

The state-run Angola Press (ANGOP) reported that at least seventeen people were killed in the accident, including three Lieutenant-Generals and other military service members. Six civilians, including two women and two children, were also among the fatalities.

ANGOP added that at least six people survived the accident, including the entire flight crew as well as a civilian and a first sergeant. Photos from the scene of the accident showed the cabin of the plane was completely destroyed, although the back and parts of a wing were mostly intact.

The air force plane, which was relatively new, was being used by the army to transport two military delegations. It was not immediately known if the plane was landing or taking off when it crashed and burst into flames.

State-run media reported that an investigation has been launched into the cause of the accident.

Angola's deadliest plane crash happened in December 1995 when a Trans Service Airlift plane carrying 144 people crashed after taking off from Jamba Airport near Cahungula, killing all but three people on board.

And in November 1983, all 130 people on board a Boeing 737 were killed when the plane crashed near Lubango, the capital city of the province of Huíla. Although authorities said the crash was caused by a technical failure, the National Union for the Total Independence of Angola (UNITA) claimed to have shot it down with a surface-to-air missile.

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