International Medical Corps Helps Rescue Victims from Plane Crash in Democratic Republic of Congo

Photo: Stringer (Reuters)

Aid workers sort through the wreckage at the crash site of the Hewa Bora Airways passenger jet in the eastern Congolese town of Goma. International Medical Corps helped to rescue and treat the victims of the crash that killed at least 38 people.

International Medical Corps (IMC) aid workers in Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) joined the United Nations and other agencies to help rescue the victims of the dramatic plane crash that killed at least 38 people and injured 113 on Tuesday, April 15 in the eastern city of Goma. Bursting into flames, the jetliner crashed as it was taking off from the runway, slamming into a busy market place. While initial figures have fluctuated, 50 of the 79 passengers are known to have survived the crash, but rescue workers continue to comb through the smoldering wreckage for any remaining survivors.

With relief and development programs in Goma and other surrounding areas in DRC’s North Kivu Province, International Medical Corps worked closely with local hospitals to rescue and treat the victims as effectively and efficiently as possible. IMC runs 15 health centers in and around local displacement camps - two of which are located within 1.5 miles of the crash site – and supports two county hospitals. Many of the victims were transported to Virunga Hospital and Provincial Hospital, where IMC staff have treated six patients and continue to provide technical support for the Ministry of Health in meeting the needs of the victims.

Photo: Reuters

After failing to takeoff, the Hewa Bora Airways passenger jet crashed into a busy marketplace in Goma. A long-term humanitarian presence in Goma, International Medical Corps’ staff treated victims through the hospitals and health clinics it supports in the immediate area.

As part of the Provincial Cellule de Crisis, International Medical Corps is an active partner in the emergency response system in Goma, an area prone to violence and instability. The plane crash is one of the many fatal crashes that DRC has witnessed with its airlines. With eight crashes last year alone, DRC has had more deadly crashes since 1945 than any other African country, according to a nonprofit, Aviation Safety Network. This jetliner was operated by the private Congolese company, Hewa Bora Airways, which was added just last week to the list of airlines banned from flying in the European Union.

International Medical Corps has been a part of DRC’s relief network since 1999, supporting the residents of North and South Kivu provinces with primary health services, agricultural development programs, supplemental and therapeutic feeding clinics, and sexual and gender-based violence campaigns. During the last 20 years of ongoing violence in DRC an estimated 5.4 million people have died – more than any other conflict since World War II – and another 3 million have been left homeless. To help those displaced by war, IMC works in camps, providing immediate relief to approximately 150,000 displaced persons, and also supports existing government facilities and trains locals to help build local capacities and enable self-reliance.