5 Apr 2011

Fatal UN plane crash in Congo

3:07 pm on 5 April 2011

A United Nations plane has crashed at Kinshasa airport in the Democratic Republic of Congo, killing 32 of the 33 people on board.

The United Nations says the CRJ-100 jet broke in two and burst into flames as it attempted to land in heavy rain on Monday.

It had reportedly flown from Goma via Kisangani in the north-east.

Twenty UN workers were listed as being on the plane, which had a Georgian crew and Congolese and foreign nationals on board, the BBC reports.

The nationality of the only survivor remains unknown.

The UN Stabilisation Mission has been operating in African country since 1999 and its mandate is due to expire in June this year.