KENâGE, DR Congo, September 25, 2026 â Thirteen people were killed when a small plane crashed and caught fire in Kenge, in the Democratic Republic of the Congoâs Kwango province, according to the Congolese Press Agency, which cited a local official.
The aircraft was travelling from Kikwit toward Kinshasa when it went down in Kengeâs Manzau neighbourhood. Lieutenant General Lucien-RenĂ© Likulia Bakumi, the armed forcesâ auditor general attached to the High Military Court, was among the victims, Kwango Vice-Governor RĂ©my Saki Mupinda told ActualitĂ©.cd.
What officials say happened in Kenge
Saki said the plane had initially flown from Kinshasa to Kikwit and was on its return journey when it encountered trouble near Kenge. Its occupants appeared to be looking for somewhere to land, he said. The aircraft circled the city before crashing into a plot and burning. The vice-governor reported no deaths among people on the ground.
âIt was looking for somewhere to land,â Saki told ActualitĂ©.cd, according to a translation of his remarks. He said the pilotâs body was found outside the aircraft while other occupants remained in the burned wreckage.
Local reports identified the aircraft as a Let L-410. Reports have differed on the operatorâs name, and aviation authorities have yet to publish a detailed account of the flight. The precise nature of the trouble described by witnesses and officials has not been established as the cause of the crash.
Senior military figures among those aboard
Saki said a flight manifest showed that Likulia Bakumi was aboard with a major, a captain, other military personnel and civilians. Likulia Bakumi had led the armed forcesâ general military prosecutorâs office attached to the High Military Court since March 2021, according to ActualitĂ©.cd. A complete, officially verified list of those killed has not been released.
A separate Nouveau MĂ©dia report said a Defence Ministry mission order also named Lieutenant General Joseph Mutombo Katalay Tiende, the High Military Courtâs presiding judge, among those assigned to the KinshasaâKikwit trip. The outlet noted that authorities had not confirmed whether everyone named in that document was aboard the crashed plane.
Kenge police chief Jean Pierre Negidi told the Congolese Press Agency that investigators were still working to determine the cause. A transport ministry adviser told the agency that officials were awaiting details from the civil aviation authority and expected to issue a statement.
The reported toll of 13 comes from local officials. Recovery and identification work was still under way in the initial hours after the crash, so further official findings may clarify the passenger list and circumstances.
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