Brussels, 4th September. Seventeen people have died in a plane crash in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Handicap International can confirm that two of its staff and a third person from a partner organisation were amongst the victims. The three victims were on their way to take part in a workshop to raise awareness of the dangers of landmines. Handicap International is deeply saddened by this tragic accident and extends its heartfelt sympathy to the families and friends of colleagues, as well as to those of the other victims.
The plane, from Air Serv International, was flying between Kinshasa / Mbandaka / Kisangani / Bukavu / Goma. The airline is specialised in humanitarian flights and was not on a black list. The weather conditions were really poor between Kisangani and Bukavu in the East, when the plane disappeared from the radars. A team from the United Nations Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo was able to reach the plane wreck three days later and officially confirmed the death of all people on board.
The plane had a maximum capacity of 19 people. 15 passengers and two crew members were on board. All passengers were humanitarian aid workers and representatives of the Congolese government. Amongst them were Jean-Pierre Bolima and Patrick Chirwisa, from Handicap International, and Alphonse Kisubi who worked for a local partner. All three of them were part of a project to raise awareness of the dangers of landmines and unexploded ordnances. They were en route to a workshop on this topic. Handicap International is extremely saddened by this terrible accident and expresses its deepest sympathy to families and friends. The organisation is currently providing them with emotional support.
Handicap International has been working in Congo since 1995. There are currently 120 people working for Handicap International in the country. In Kisangani and surrounding provinces, our aim is to reduce the dangers of landmines and unexploded ordnances. This is achieved by: raising awareness and informing the local population; collecting data; indicating mined areas; demining and destroying stocks. In Kinshasa, Handicap International contributes to the improvement of disabled people's living conditions by: training healthcare personnel; working on the inclusion of disabled people in their own communities and running inclusive education projects.
Handicap International also has activities to answer the needs in the context of a humanitarian crisis in the East of the country.
[ Any views expressed in this article are those of the writer and not of Reuters. ]
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