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December 2, 2008 6:23:08 AM CST

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Congo Plane Crash Kills 75

Posted Apr 15, 08 1:30 PM CDT in World 

(Newser) – A Congolese jetliner carrying around 85 people failed to take off today from an airport in Goma, crashing at high speed into a busy market neighborhood at the end of the runway. Local officials said dozens of bodies—as many as 75 people—were pulled from the wreckage.

Smoke and flames engulfed the charred ruins of the aircraft, which appeared to have broken in two when it slammed into the rooftops of about 10 cement homes just outside the airport, destroying them instantly. Soldiers kept onlookers away after UN peacekeepers helped douse flames at the crash site.  

Source Associated Press

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Rescue workers and onlookers gather at the site of a plane crash in Goma, Congo, Tuesday April 15, 2008.   (AP Photo/Lauren Vopni)
Debri lies on the ground as rescue workers and onlookers gather at the site of a plane crash in Goma, in Congo , Tuesday April 15 2008. A passenger plane carrying 85 people crashed into a crowded neighborhood...   (AP Photo/Lauren Vopni)
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