No crew
member survived the crash of a military helicopter Wednesday in Kinshasa, the
capital of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), according to local
media, citing the DRC's Airway Authority (RVA).
According to
military sources on the ground, the helicopter of the Armed Forces of the DRC
(FARDC) crashed around 11 a.m., local time, on the runway of Ndolo Airport, the
second airport in Kinshasa.
All three
people on board, namely the pilot, the co-pilot and the technician, who were
"expatriates," died, according to local media, citing sources of the
RVA, specifying that the pilot was strapped by his seatbelt in the aircraft and
died on the spot.
The other two
crew members died on their way to a local hospital, according to RVA sources,
which was also confirmed by General Fae Ngama, a commander of the FARDC, to the
Congolese Press Agency, DRC's official media outlet.
Christophe
Lomami, mayor of the Barumbu commune where the airport is located, confirmed
this tragedy, noting that the causes of the accident remain unknown.
The FARDC has
not yet communicated on this incident.