26 die as UN plane crashes in Congo

A plane carrying UN staff and peacekeepers crashed today on landing at the airport in Congo’s capital, breaking into pieces and killing at least 26 people, aviation officials said.

The cause of the crash was not immediately known, and six other people were injured in the crash.

“A crisis taskforce is working at the crash site,” UN spokesman Martin Nesirky said.

A senior Congolese aviation official said the plane was travelling from Kinsangani to Kinshasa.

The UN mission in Congo, known as MONUSCO, includes more than 19,000 uniformed peacekeeping troops. The mission is charged with protecting civilians in the enormous Central African nation wracked by violence from a myriad of rebel groups and militias.

Few passable roads cross Congo after decades of war and corrupt rule, forcing the country’s deeply impoverished people to rely on ill-maintained planes and boats to move around.

Congo has one of the worst air safety records in the world, and its safety regulations are notoriously lax.