Democratic Republic of Congo: 32 United Nations Staff Killed in Plane Crash

32 United Nations staff have died as a plane crashed trying to land at Kinshasa. The aircraft was travelling from Kisangani and only one person survived. The incident occurred at N’Djili airport at around 1 p.m. West African Time (UTC + 1hr).

The UN peacekeeping mission in the DRC (MONUSCO) has reported that the plane was carrying 29 passengers and four crew members, and that the passengers included both UN and non-UN staff.

The Canadair CL-600-2B19 Regional Jet CRJ-100ER had been leased from Georgian Airways and had been in operation for 16 years. It is thought that the plane got into difficulty whilst landing in bad conditions.

MONUSCO has set up a task force in the wake of the crash to lead the investigation and determine what follow-up actions are needed. Counsellors are being provided for affected staff and a hotline is also being established for the families and friends of the crash victims.

The mission said that the names of the victims will be released after their bodies have been positively identified and the next of kin informed.


In This Story: Democratic Republic of Congo

The Democratic Republic of the Congo, also known as Congo-Kinshasa, DR Congo, the DROC, or simply either Congo or the Congo, and historically Zaire, is a country in Central Africa. The capital is Kinshasa.

With a population of over 101 million, the Democratic Republic of the Congo is the most-populous officially Francophone country in the world.

The Democratic Republic of the Congo is extremely rich in natural resources but has suffered from political instability. As of 2018, around 600,000 Congolese have fled to neighbouring countries from conflicts in the centre and east of the DRC. Two million children risk starvation, and the fighting has displaced 4.5 million people.

2 Recent Items: Democratic Republic of Congo

Dr congo army fights armed groups: southern african troops to boost offensive 1

DR Congo army fights armed groups: Southern African troops to boost offensive

Join the Loong Year Loong Dance challenge for good luck in 2024!

In This Story: Kinshasa

Kinshasa, formerly Léopoldville, is the capital and the largest city of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The city is situated alongside the Congo River. Once a site of fishing and trading villages, Kinshasa is now a megacity with a population of about 16 million.

2 Recent Items: Kinshasa

Congo president sworn in for second term | DW News

DR Congo elections: Church observers critical of electoral process

Leave a Comment

We don't require your email address, or your name, for anyone to leave a comment. If you do add an email address, you may be notified if there are replies to your comment - we won't use it for any other purpose. Please make respectful comments, which add value, and avoid personal attacks on others. Links are not allowed in comments - 99% of spam comments, attempt to post links. Please describe where people may find additional information - for example "visit the UN website" or "search Google for..." rather than posting a link. Comments failing to adhere to these guidelines will not be published.