Pretoria - Consular services will be provided to the bereaved families of three South Africans killed in a plane crash on Monday, said the Department of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO).
In a statement, the department's High Commission in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) confirmed the deaths of the South Africans who were travelling aboard the MONUSCO plane when it crashed.
"It has also been established that all 29 passenger on board have died. In this regard, the South African Government extends its thoughts and prayers to those families who lost their loved ones during this tragic incident," said department spokesperson Clayson Monyela.
The department will provide consular services to the bereaved families with the necessary consular assistance with particular reference to the repatriation of the bodies to South Africa.
The aircraft, which had been traveling from the north-eastern city of Kisangani, was attempting to land in heavy rain at N'Djili airport in Kinshasa when it crashed about 1pm local time. The aircraft was a regular flight for the UN mission in DRC, known as MONUSCO.
After the crash, MONUSCO dispatched medical rescue teams to the crash site as well as an emergency team to gather information about the accident. MONUSCO consists of more than 19 000 uniformed peacekeepers to protect civilians in the conflict-torn country and monitor the implementation of an arms embargo. - BuaNews
