At least 14 people were killed on Friday when a Congolese army plane crashed into a residential area in the southwest of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

The aircraft was travelling from the southwestern city of Kikwit to the capital, Kinshasa, when it developed a technical fault and attempted an emergency landing in Kenge, in Kwango province.

Remy Saki Bokinda, deputy governor of Kwango, said: "With no landing strip available in Kenge, the plane crashed into a residential plot."

Congolese military spokesperson Major-General Efomi Ekenge confirmed that all those on board had died. "All those on board died; 12 were burned beyond recognition, while the pilot's lifeless body was found outside the aircraft," he said.

Among the dead were senior military officials, civilians, and members of an official delegation travelling with two generals, along with other military personnel.

Bokinda also confirmed that most of the bodies were burned beyond recognition and that the pilot was found dead outside the wreckage.

An investigation has been opened to determine the cause of the crash, according to Ekenge.

The Democratic Republic of the Congo is a vast, mineral-rich country in central Africa that has endured decades of conflict, particularly along its eastern border with Rwanda, where several armed groups compete for control of lucrative mining areas. The Congolese military has been battling a number of rebel groups that have seized key cities in the country since last year.