An unmanned aircraft used by U.N. peacekeepers in Democratic Republic of Congo crashed on Wednesday near the eastern town of Goma, sources at the airport and interior ministry said.
The United Nations force started using UAS – a first for the world body – last month to help it monitor armed groups operating along Congo’s border zone with Rwanda and Uganda.
The accident occurred at 11.00 (09.00GMT) on landing at Goma airport. It appears to have been caused by a technical problem and the aircraft was completely destroyed. Colonel Prosper Basse, spokesman for the UN Mission in the Congo confirmed the incident and said that an enquiry was underway to determine the technical fault that caused the accident.
The Falco UAS used by the U.N. force are manufactured by Selex ES, a unit of Italian defense group Finmeccanica. The firm was not immediately available for comment.