13 killed in Congo plane crash

At least 13 people were killed early on Saturday when an An-26 aircraft from the Democratic Republic of Congo crashed north of Brazzaville, in neighboring Congo, witnesses at the scene said.

The accident is the fourth crash involving a DRC aircraft since the start of the month.

Witnesses at the crash site, 50km north of the Congolese capital, on Saturday said they had found 13 bodies, including those of the crew, and that there appeared to be no survivor, reports Independent.

According to MSNBC, The plane had taken off from an airstrip in Congo’s Equateur province and was bound for that country’s capital, Kinshasa, after flying over eastern territory of the Republic of Congo.

The two capitals of the neighboring, similarly named countries face each other on opposite banks of the Congo River.

On Friday, Congo’s government pulled operating licenses from dozens of the central African nation’s airlines, grounding their planes after a spate of air accidents.

Transport Minister Eva Mwakasa did not name the 33 prohibited airlines, telling reporters only that the companies were all registered in Congo.