Incomplete passenger list confuses Congo plane death toll

There is confusion today over the death toll in the Congo plane tragedy, where passengers were sucked out of the aircraft mid-air after a rear door swung open.

Dozens of soldiers, their wives and children plunged to their deaths over Congo. Others survived by clinging to the aircraft as it returned to the airport, officials said.

Two officials at Kinshasa international airport originally said that 129 people were feared dead.

Later, a third official estimated the casualties were about half that, saying the exact figure may be difficult to determine because of an incomplete passenger list.

The plane, a Russian-built Ilyushin 76, lost its door at 33,000 feet about 45 minutes after take-off on Thursday night from Kinshasa, the capital of the central African nation, said government spokesman Kikaya Bin Karubi.

He said seven people were confirmed dead and military helicopters were searching the region for more casualties. He did not provide details but confirmed that those who died had been “ejected from the plane”.

People in Africa often travel on overcrowded, modified cargo planes that have few seats, leaving most passengers to cram in among belongings in the rear of the aircraft.

“They were traumatised,” said Kabamba Mbwebwe, a doctor who treated victims. “The door opened and the plane depressurised. Many were sucked out.”

The flight crew managed to fly the plane back to the capital, where it could be seen the next day on the tarmac, missing a door.

Nine survivors were treated for minor injuries and psychological trauma at Kinshasa General Hospital.

It was not known how many people were on the plane or whether they had seats or seatbelts.

The privately-owned plane had apparently been chartered to transport Congolese soldiers and their families from Kinshasa to the south-eastern city of Lubumbashi, a diamond centre. Soldiers regularly provide security in Congo cities, often travelling as a group between assignments.

It was not immediately known why the door came open. The weather was clear and there were no suggestion of sabotage.

The plane’s owner was not immediately identified. The logo says “Ukrainian Cargo Airlines”.

The Ilyushin 76 is a medium to long-range transport jet. The model was first flown in 1971. It is widely used around the world, particularly in Africa, the Middle East and Asia, as a civilian carrier.

The plane has had a chequered safety record, including 47 accidents that resulted in 668 deaths, according to the Aviation Safety Network website, an air safety database.