Horrifying plane crash: Minister's aircraft skids off runway, erupts in flames at airport, VIDEO surfaces

Kinshasa (The Uttam Hindu): A horrifying video of a plane crash in the Democratic Republic of Congo is going viral, showing a plane bursting into flames as it landed on the runway. The plane, belonging to Congo's Mining Minister Louis Watame Kabamba, crashed while landing at Kolwezi Airport.

Minister Kabamba was accompanied by a delegation of top officials on board the plane, the Daily Mail reported. The aircraft that caught fire was an Embraer ERJ-145LR (registration D2-AJB) operated by Aerojet Angola. The plane had taken off from Kinshasa for Kolwezi in Lualaba Province.

According to reports, the plane veered off the runway upon landing on Kolwezi's Runway 29 on Monday, causing its main gear to collapse. The plane then left the runway, overturned, and its tail caught fire.

PlaneCrashHorrifying videos of the incident are circulating on social media. In one video, huge flames and thick smoke can be seen rising from the plane, as airport staff unsuccessfully try to douse the flames with water hoses.

Another video shows the chaos inside the plane. Panicked passengers struggle to get out. In the chaos, some are seen falling, while others jump out of windows to save their lives.

Isaac Nyembo, the minister's communications advisor, confirmed that the plane "left the runway while landing at Kolwezi Airport." However, miraculously, none of the passengers or crew members were killed in the horrific accident. The entire jet is reportedly destroyed by fire. Investigators are currently investigating the cause of the crash.

The mining minister's delegation was on its way to the Kalondo mine near Kolwezi, where a bridge collapsed on November 15 due to heavy rains, killing dozens of workers.