Fourteen people are now confirmed to have died after a military aircraft crashed and caught fire in the Democratic Republic of Congo on Friday.

We previously reported that at least 13 people had been killed. Updated reports confirm that 14 people died in total, with two senior military officials among the victims alongside civilian passengers.

The aircraft was travelling from Kikwit towards the capital, Kinshasa, when the crew ran into difficulties in the air.

According to Remy Saki Bokinda, the vice governor of Kwango province, the plane experienced a technical issue before attempting an emergency landing in Kenge. It subsequently crashed in a ball of flames on what he described as a "residential plot".

Provincial authorities confirmed that no one survived the impact. Bokinda said that 12 victims were burned beyond recognition, while the pilot's body was found outside the aircraft.

General Likulia Bakumi, the army's auditor general, was one of the senior military figures killed on the flight.

Images shared on social media immediately after the crash showed crowds gathered around the burning wreckage. A formal investigation by the DRC's aviation accident investigation authority remains underway to establish what caused the crash.

The disaster occurred in the same week as a separate military aviation incident in the UK, where an RAF Hawk T2 jet crashed in the Pencarnisiog area of Wales after flying out of RAF Valley on Anglesey.

Both pilots in the Welsh incident ejected before the aircraft hit the ground and narrowly missed nearby homes. The RAF confirmed they were treated for minor injuries, are "doing well", and are expected to make a full recovery, with Hawk flights paused as a precaution during the UK inquiry.

What we still do not know is the precise nature of the technical failure that forced the DR Congo flight down before it reached Kinshasa. I'll be following this one — check back for updates.