Cargo plane crash kills six in Congo

— A small cargo plane crashed into a cemetery Wednesday morning, killing six people, the country's top transport official said.

The Antonov 12 cargo plane crashed south of the capital, Brazzaville, about 7 a.m., Transport and Civil Aviation Minister Emile Ouosso said Wednesday. The victims included five Ukrainian crew members and one Congolese citizen.

"We have verified that there were six dead, five who were members of the Ukrainian crew and one Congolese," Ouosso said. The plane was at its full capacity of 20 tons, he said. He did not say what the aircraft was carrying.

The four-engine turboprop Antonov 12 is commonly used to transport cargo in Africa and in former Soviet Union states.

Republic of Congo is in Central Africa and is often overshadowed by its much larger neighbor, Democratic Republic of Congo.

Front Section, Pages 8 on 08/27/2009

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