A Dornier 228-200 aircraft operated by the private carrier Busy Bee Congo has crashed into the residential area in the city of Goma in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo leaving 27 people dead, including both people in the aircraft and occupants on the ground.

Reportedly, the aircraft with 17 passengers and two crew failed to climb out of the Goma International Airport’s runway, contacted electrical wires at very low height and impacted houses in the densely populated area of Birere just south of the runway.

The aircraft burst into flames, ground observers reported. An investigation has been opened into the circumstances of the crash including possible technical causes.