CARGO PLANE CRASH NEAR BRAZZAVILLE

An Antonov 12 cargo aircraft crashed in a suburban area approximately 12 mi/20 km south of Brazzaville on 26 August 2009, killing five crew members and two Congolese nationals who were not on the aircraft's manifest. The aircraft reportedly belonged to the Russian Aeroflot Business Airline and was en route to Brazzaville from Point-Noire when it crashed approximately one hour into the flight. Reports indicate that the aircraft's two Congolese passengers were likely stowaways, as the Republic of Congo banned Antonov from conducting passenger flights in 2007. The cause of the crash is currently unknown.