DRC authorities recover crashed plane

By Godfrey Olukya

KAMPALA, Uganda (AA) - Experts in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) confirmed Tuesday that the wreckage of an aircraft in the country's central region was that of a cargo plane carrying presidential staff.

The aircraft crashed last Thursday after taking off from the eastern city of Goma.

Police confirmed that the plane was identified via its registration information, among other evidence, with UN radio saying four unidentified bodies were pulled from the rubble, citing the country's presidential communication service.

It added on that a team of investigators along with experts from the UN Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo (MONUSCO) began conducting preliminary investigations on the crash site.

The Antonov 72 plane had disappeared on Oct. 10 between Goma and Kinshasa, with eight people on board, according to a statement from the country's Civil Aviation Authority.

The aircraft left Goma at 3.32 p.m. (1332GMT) local time, losing contact in the air at around 5.00 p.m. (1500GMT), while it was supposed to land in the capital Kinshasa at 6.43 p.m. (1643GMT).