No Survivors In DRC Military Helicopter Crash

A military helicopter crash at Ndolo Airport in Kinshasa, the capital of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), claimed the lives of all crew members on board on Wednesday, according to local media citing the DRC’s Airway Authority (RVA).

The Armed Forces of the DRC (FARDC) helicopter went down around 11 a.m. local time on the airport’s runway. All three expatriate crew members—the pilot, co-pilot, and technician—lost their lives in the crash.

Local media reported that the pilot was found strapped into his seatbelt and died on the spot, while the other two crew members succumbed to their injuries on the way to a nearby hospital.

General Fae Ngama, a commander of the FARDC, confirmed the deaths to the Congolese Press Agency, the DRC’s official media outlet.

Christophe Lomami, mayor of the Barumbu commune where Ndolo Airport is located, also confirmed the incident, adding that the cause of the crash remains under investigation.

The FARDC has not yet issued an official statement regarding the crash.