KINSHASA, Aug. 4 (Xinhua) -- A small passenger plane crashed in the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) on Thursday afternoon, killing all 14 passengers and three crew members aboard, a spokeswoman for the UN mission in DRC has said.

    The tragedy occurred when the Antonov 28 airplane operated by a Congolese firm approached the airport at Bukavu in the South Kivu province. It hit a mountain, dropped into the forest and burned completely, Sylvie Van den Wildenberg told reporters.

    She added that a rescue team rushed to the site but no survivors were found. The reason of the accident remained unknown.

    It was the latest in a number of plane crashes over the past year in the Central African country.

    An Antonov cargo plane crashed in the mountains of the eastern DRC, killing five people, on July 8.   Enditem