Congolese Mines Minister Louis Watum Kabamba and other members of his delegation survived an accident when the plane they were flying in caught fire after veering off the runway on Monday morning in southern Democratic Republic of the Congo, an official said.
The aircraft, carrying the country’s Mines Minister, Louis Watum Kabamba and his delegation, was coming in to land at Kolwezi Airport at around 11am on Monday.
As the chartered Embraer flight touched down it suddenly failed to stop before skidding on its belly off runway 29.
Within seconds the tail section immediately went up in flames, according to local reports. The entire back half of the plane was ignited as footage showed the horrors as they unfolded.
Huge clouds of smoke shot up into the sky at the airport as rescuers frantically rushed over to try and extinguish the flaming wreckage.
Armed with water hoses, some of the safety crews battled the flames as others desperately tried to get those trapped on board out.
The steps at the front of the aircraft managed to open up with some passengers near the exit making a swift escape.For the officials stuck in the middle or now badly burnt out back end they had no choice but to leap out of the centre exit.
Several could be seen jumping down onto the wing before falling to the ground below clutching onto their bags.The minister’s communications advisor, Isaac Nyembo, confirmed the aircraft “ran off the runway during landing”.
Footage from inside the plane as it comes in to land shows the panic for those on board.
One passenger films the landing as he shows how the wing scraped across the ground for several seconds at high-speed.
Those inside rushed to their feet just as the tail first ignited.
Miraculously, no deaths or major injuries were reported.
Investigations into the chartered flight, operated by Airjet Angola, are ongoing.
It remains unclear what caused the failed landing.
The plane is said to have been left completely decimated by the fire.
Minister Kabamba, 63, was headed to the Kalondo Mine near Kolwezi, to work with the community following a separate disaster over the weekend.
A bridge by a mine shaft suddenly collapsed on Saturday reportedly triggered by heavy rain and a surge of panicked workers.
Over 30 semi-industrial copper mine worker were killed in the tragedy.
The collapse was “caused by panic, reportedly triggered by gunfire from military personnel securing the site,” Congo’s Artisanal and Small-Scale Mining Support and Guidance Service said.
The Initiative for the Protection of Human Rights called for an independent investigation into the deaths.