congo watch

A plane crashed in Goma today. Into Birere, which is the market district.

Something went wrong on take-off. Birere is close, but there's plenty of space (not to mention an area for temporary military encampments) between the runway, the road, and the market.

Birere is total chaos. During the day, thousands and thousands of people go about their business there. It's where I sometimes go to buy fabric in the shops near the roundpoint, or vegetables in the market. It's E's preferred market. It's where her housekeeper and his family live.

Six of 85 people on the plane survived, including the pilot and co-pilot and four passengers, two of whom are children.

Nobody knows how many people on the ground were killed by the crash.

I don't want to think about it anymore.