Civilians and senior military officials among the dead after aircraft suffers technical failure and crashes in Kwango province.
Published On 26 Sep 2026
At least 14 people, including senior military officers, died Friday when a Congolese army aircraft crashed into a residential neighborhood in the southwestern Democratic Republic of the Congo.
The plane, en route from Kikwit to the capital Kinshasa, developed a technical fault and attempted an emergency landing in Kenge, Kwango province. With no airstrip available, the aircraft came down on a residential plot, according to Remy Saki Bokinda, the province’s deputy governor.
Major-General Efomi Ekenge, a military spokesperson, confirmed the death toll. All passengers and crew perished; 12 bodies were burned beyond recognition, while the pilot’s body was found outside the wreckage. The victims included civilians and members of an official delegation accompanying two generals, alongside other military personnel.
Authorities have launched an investigation to determine the cause of the accident.
The DRC, a vast mineral-rich nation in central Africa, has faced decades of instability, particularly in its eastern regions where armed groups vie for control of lucrative mining areas. The military has been engaged in operations against various rebel factions that have seized key cities over the past year.
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