The death toll from a Tracep Congo Aviation Let L-410 crash near Kenge in western Democratic Republic of the Congo rose to 17 after authorities recovered additional bodies on Saturday. The aircraft, operating between Kikwit and Kinshasa, developed a technical fault, attempted to land at Kenge and came down in a residential area in Kwango province, with no ground casualties reported.
Transport authorities said all 17 people aboard were killed, including two senior military justice officials among the passengers. The crash prompted an immediate regulatory response, with the transport ministry suspending Tracep Congo Aviation’s air operator certificate and grounding its aircraft nationwide pending the outcome of an investigation. Earlier casualty figures were lower before the revised count was confirmed after the fire was brought under control and further bodies were recovered.
The cause remains under investigation, while officials continue to assess the circumstances that led the small aircraft to divert toward Kenge and fail during the attempted landing.