Watch: Plane carrying Congo minister, 20 others bursts into flames; skids off runway

A chartered Embraer ERJ‑145LR carrying Democratic Republic of Congo mines minister Louis Watum Kabamba and around 20 others onboard skidded off the runway and caught fire at Kolwezi Airport on Monday.

According to The Sun, the aircraft, returning from Kinshasa, came in to land around 11 am when it overshot runway 29 and the tail section erupted in flames.

Following the crash, local emergency crews rushed to the scene, dousing the fire while helping passengers evacuate. Miraculously, no injuries or fatalities were reported.




Footage from the airport showed the tail section and rear half of the plane were engulfed in flames, with thick black smoke rising into the sky. Emergency responders used water hoses to extinguish the fire while others helped passengers evacuate, as seen in the footage. Passengers at the front of the plane exited quickly using the aircraft stairs, with some running away from the wreckage.



Minister Kabamba, 63, and his delegation were travelling to the Kalondo mine, following a tragic collapse at a semi-industrial copper mine over the weekend that killed more than 30 workers. Authorities said the collapse was reportedly caused by panic triggered by gunfire from military personnel securing the site.

The Embraer flight was operated by Airjet Angola, and investigations into the failed landing are ongoing. The exact cause of the accident has not been confirmed yet.