A Soviet-era cargo plane crashed in a residential area of Kinshasa on Oct. 4, killing 25 people on board as it smashed through a dozen houses and exploded in a fireball.

Fatalities were also reported on the ground and medical officials said 21 people had been hospitalized.

The Antonov 26 aircraft crashed in a densely populated district of the Democratic Republic of Congo capital just after take-off from the nearby airport. Witnesses said the twin-engined plane exploded in flames on impact.

"There were several dead people in the houses," Information Minister Toussaint Tshilombo Send said.

"It's really premature at this stage to give any exact toll," the minister said.