Death toll in Congo plane crash now 32

3 Dec 2012

BRAZZAVILLE, DRC: A Congolese city morgue official on Sunday (2 December) updated the death toll from a cargo plane crash two days ago to 32, as the search continued for more bodies in the wreckage at Brazzaville airport.

So far emergency workers had removed 32 bodies from the scene, 15 of whom had been identified, said the official. An earlier death toll from a hospital official put the total at 27.

All seven people on board the plane were killed as the plane skidded off the runway as it came in to land in stormy weather, demolishing several homes and a bar before crashing into a ravine.

The other victims were those caught in the path of the crash, which left more than 30 others injured.

Five of the people on board the plane were Armenians, a civil aviation official in Yereven said Saturday (1 December). Their foreign ministry said that the aircraft belonged to Armenian freight specialist airline Rij Airways.

The Ilyushin plane, registered with local company Aero-services, was flying in from the western port city of Pointe Noire carrying cars and other goods.

Source: AFP via I-Net Bridge