17 feared dead in Congo plane crash

BUKAVU, Democratic Republic of Congo, Sept. 2 (UPI) -- A plane carrying 17 people, most of whom were aid workers, crashed in the Democratic Republic of Congo with no survivors spotted, officials say.

The nonprofit humanitarian aviation group Air Serv International of Warrenton, Va., said its chartered aircraft went down early Tuesday 8 miles northwest of Bukavu while en route from Kisangani. Searchers in helicopters were sent to find the plane when it failed to arrive at its destination.

The group said in a statement the plane's wreckage was found on a steep ridge and that helicopter pilots could see no survivors. The plane carried two crew members and 15 passengers.

A spokesman for the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs in the Congo's capital city of Kinshasa told CNN that poor weather was hampering efforts to reach the crash site.

"We're anxiously waiting for results from the search-and-rescue operation," he told the broadcaster. "We're really hoping the peacekeepers are able to land near the site and confirm whether there are any survivors."