Several people have died after a plane crashed in a fireball in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

At least 13 people were killed in the collision involving a military aircraft.

High-ranking officers were among the victims, according to officials.

The plane was travelling to the capital, Kinshasa, from Kikwit city when it suffered a technical malfunction.

The pilot tried to perform an emergency landing, but the aircraft plunged towards homes in Kenge, Kwango province, in southwestern DRC.

Remy Saki Bokinda, the province vice governor, told Reuters: ‘With no landing strip available in Kenge, the plane crashed into a residential plot.’

The plane was carrying General Likulia Bakumi, the army’s auditor general, a major, a captain, other military personnel and civilians, he confirmed.

All people on board are said to have died after the wreckage was engulfed by flames.

Footage shows people rushing to the burning plane, with thick smoke billowing into the air from the hillside.

In another clip, the lifeless body of the pilot was carried away on a stretcher.

Twelve people were ‘burned beyond recognition,’ while the pilot was discovered outside the aircraft, Mr Bokinda said.

An investigation into the crash has been launched by the government aviation accident body.

Deadly aviation accidents are not uncommon in DR Congo, the second-largest African country, where distances are long and roads are in poor condition.

The country has featured high on the list of countries for most aviation accidents in the past, despite accounting for only 0.1% of global air traffic.

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