51 survivors, 127 dead in Congo plane wreck, officials say

KINSHASA — An airliner plowed into dense forest as it tried to land during a rainstorm in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo on Friday, killing at least 127 on board, the Congolese transport ministry said.

There were 51 survivors, a ministry statement said.

The accident at the international airport of Kisangani, a commercial center and river port town, is the latest in a string of disasters that has saddled the vast central African country with one of the worst air safety records in the world.

"The pilot tried to land but apparently they didn't touch the runway," Stavros Papaioannou, chief executive of Hewa Bora airline, told Reuters by telephone.

Bad weather Government spokesman Lambert Mende said the plane went down a few feet from the Kisangani airport.

"It was due to the thunder," he said. "We have already helped take out at least 40 survivors and the rescue operation is ongoing."

Hewa Bora, which means "fresh air," in Swahili, is on a European Union list of airlines banned due to security concerns, RTE reported. Congo has one of the worst air transport safety and security records in the world.

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