14 killed as plane crashes in Congo, two top military officials among dead

At least 14 people, including two senior military officials, were killed after a plane crashed in the Democratic Republic of Congo, the military said on Friday.

The two military officials killed in the crash were Lieutenant General Mutombo Katalayi Tiende, head of the military court, and Lieutenant General Bakumi Likulia, auditor general of the armed forces, the Associated Press reported.

Major General Efomi Ekenge, spokesperson for the Congolese military, said in a statement that 12 members of the delegation and crew members also died in the accident.

The plane was returning to the capital Kinshasa from Kikwit in southwestern Congo when it developed a technical fault and crashed in Kenge, local officials said. Everyone on board was killed.

An investigation has been launched to determine the circumstances and cause of the crash, Ekenge said.

Tryphon Kin-Kiey Mulumba, chairman of the board of Congo's Civil Aviation Authority, said the cause of the crash was not immediately known.

The crash comes as the Congolese military continues to battle scores of rebel groups, including the Rwanda-backed M23, in the country's eastern region. The conflict intensified after a series of rebel attacks led to the capture of several key cities.- Ends