Top officials among 17 killed in DR Congo air crash: ministry

A small plane carrying a delegation of military justice officials crashed in southwest Democratic Republic of Congo on Friday, killing 17 people, including two of the country's most senior military justice officials, according to the transport ministry. The plane, a Let 410 UVP light aircraft operated by Tracep Congo Aviation, crashed near Kenge in Kwango province, more than 200 kilometres east of the capital Kinshasa.

The two senior officers killed were Joseph Mutombo, head of the military high court, and Lucien-Rene Likulia, the armed forces' auditor general. Likulia, who was appointed by President Felix Tshisekedi, prosecuted former president Joseph Kabila in a trial held in his absence for treason and war crimes. Tshisekedi has ordered an investigation into the crash.

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