AT least 29 people were killed after a plane crashed into a densely populated neighborhood in Goma, eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, on Sunday morning, local authorities said.

“At this stage, 29 bodies have been found in the rubble,” the North Kivu regional government said in a statement.

The victims include people on board the plane and some on the ground, a rescue official said.

The plane, operated by the local company Busy Bee, crashed shortly after take-off from the city’s international airport, according to reports.

The plane crashed into houses a few minutes after taking off from the Goma airport for a flight to the city of Beni, according to the governor of North Kivu in eastern DR Congo.

No passengers survived, including the two crew members, according to Xinhua sources close to the governor’s office of North Kivu province and Hospital General De Goma.

According to sources close to the company Busy Bee, a loud detonation of one of the engines was heard a few moments after the takeoff of the aircraft.

The pilot reportedly tried to return to his starting point.

Airport and U.N. peacekeeping mission MONUSCO tried to extract the bodies of the victims trapped in the debris of the aircraft that was completely burned by the impact of the crash.

Busy Bee is one of the few local aviation companies serving the North and South Kivu province for many years. According to sources within the company, the engine of the plane that crashed had been changed and it was the first flight after the maintenance of the aircraft.

This airline company organizes scheduled flights in the northeastern part of the country, especially the city of Beni, Butembo and its peripherals.

(SD-Xinhua)