A small plane crashed after take off in the city of Goma in the Democratic Republic of the Congo on Sunday, leaving at least 27 dead as of writing.
An airport official told AFP that no survivors were expected from the disaster. The plane had 17 passengers on board as well as two crew members. It was on its way to Beni, 350 kilometers away, when it went down in a densely-populated residential area near the airport.
Casualties from the ground as are yet unknown, with rescue workers having recovered 23 bodies according to AFP.
The pilot was reportedly still alive after the crash, but rescue workers were unable to reach him because of the flames.
The plane, a Dornier-228 twin-turboprop owned by private carrier Busy Bee, crashed around one minute after taking off, the BBC reported a Goma airport source as saying. Witnesses say it spun in mid-air before crashing.
It struck several houses before exploding into flames.
The DRC has a poor history of aviation safety, witnessing numerous crashes. Commercial airlines from the DRC are banned from flying over the European Union as a result.
