The United Nations reports a humanitarian aid flight carrying 15 passengers and two crew crashed in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, 15 kilometers northwest of the airstrip at Bukavu in South Kivu Monday afternoon. The U.S.-based group that operates the craft says there appears to be no survivors, but U.N. officials say they are still unable to confirm this.
联合国说，一架载有15名乘客和两名机组人员的人道主义救援飞机星期一下午在刚果民主共和国东部坠毁，在刚果东部出事地点位于南基伍省布卡武镇一条临时飞机跑道西北部15公里处。负责这架飞机运作的美国团体说，看来机上所有人员都已经遇难，但是联合国有关官员说，他们目前还不能确认这一点。
The plane crashed on a ridge in eastern Congo while on its way from Kisangani to Bukavu, on Congo's eastern border with Rwanda.
这架飞机是从基桑加尼飞往位于刚果东部同卢旺达交界处的布卡武的，飞机在刚果东部的一个山脉上坠毁。
A U.N. spokeswoman, Elizabeth Byrs, says a search and rescue mission arrived in the area Tuesday morning. She says the reasons for the crash are still under investigation. But, the cause was probably due to bad weather.
联合国发言人比尔斯说，搜寻和救援小组星期二早上已经抵达出事地区。她说，事故原因还在调查之中，不过可能是恶劣的天气造成了飞机失事。
"It is also a very dangerous region because the fog and mist can fall suddenly and weather conditions are sometimes very bad in this forest and mountainous area," she said.
她说：“这是一个非常危险的地区，因为森林和山区会突然有雾，有时天气状况非常糟糕。”
The Air Serv International plane is operated by a group based in Warrenton, Virginia. The plane was being flown by a commercial South African company, Cem Air.
负责这架飞机的运作的是美国弗吉尼亚州沃伦顿的国际空中服务公司。驾驶飞机的是南非的商务航空租赁公司Cem Air。
Byrs says the plane was on a regular twice-weekly flight, carrying humanitarian workers to the region.
比尔斯说，这架飞机每周定期飞行两次，出事时飞机上乘坐着前往这一地区的人道救援工作者。
"It is not for profit," she said. "It is a humanitarian flight and the organizations in the field use this kind of flight to transport the staff or to fly some assistance... In fact they transport the staff from one place to another and they can carry limited relief assistance, but it is more transporting the humanitarian workers."
她说：“这次飞行不是为了谋利。这是一次人道救援飞行，进行救援工作的组织使用这种飞机运送工作人员或者救援物资。它们把工作人员从一个地方运送到另一个地方，这些工作人员携带有限的救援物资，所以飞机主要是用来运送救援人员的。”
Most aid agencies avoid traveling on commercial flights in the region because of their poor safety records. In April, a Congolese aircraft crashed near Goma killing nearly 50 people and injuring more than 100.
大部分援助机构不愿意乘坐当地的商用飞机，因为这些飞机的安全记录比较糟糕。今年4月，一架刚果飞机在戈马附近坠毁，导致近50人死亡，100多人受伤。
The civil war in Eastern Congo officially ended five years ago. But, fighting between rebel and militia groups and government forces continues. The humanitarian toll has been enormous.
按照官方的说法，刚果东部的内战在五年前就结束了。但是，反政府武装、激进组织和政府军之间的交战还在继续，这给这一地区带来了严重的人员伤亡。
The U.N. and other aid agencies say nearly 5.5 million people in eastern Congo have died, mostly from war-related hunger and disease.
联合国和其它救援机构说，刚果东部已经有近550万人死亡，大部分人死于同战争有关的饥饿和疾病。 |