Bangui, July 05: At least 22 people died today when a Boeing 707 cargo jet aircraft carrying 25 people crashed and broke up close by a working class district of Bangui, capital of the central African republic, airport and African aviation authorities said. Police said that red cross workers and Bangui's fire brigade were digging through wreckage and mud in swampland by the Guitangola market district in the southwest of the city, and had recovered a dozen bodies in their search for survivors. Government spokeswoman Nathalie Gouenebana said the aircraft had 22 people on board, including the crew, but airport sources in Ndjamena said that 25 people had been on the plane.
They included eight crew and 17 passengers, reported to be young people.
Aviation sources in Chad said that two people survived, an engineer and a woman passenger.
However officials said that it appeared that with the exception of a woman who was injured, there were no casualties among the population of Bangui.
The plane had been flying over the Central African Republic (CAR) on its way from the Chadian capital Ndjamena to Brazzaville, capital of the Republic of Congo, and had tried to make an emergency landing at Bangui at around 1530 IST, aviation sources said.

The aircraft's black box has been found.

Bureau Report