The helicopter was on a reconnaissance mission when it went down over the province of North Kivu, the place there have been clashes this week between Congolese navy and the insurgent group generally known as M23.
Six of the crew members had been from Pakistan, and two had been navy workers from Russia and Serbia, the UN peacekeeping mission mentioned in an announcement. There had been no survivors.
A search and rescue operation recovered the our bodies and introduced them to Goma, North Kivu’s capital.
In a condolence message Tuesday, Pakistan’s UN Ambassador Munir Akram confirmed the identities of the six Pakistanis killed.
“They made this final sacrifice whereas serving in Democratic Republic of Congo as a part of the UN contingent. My coronary heart goes out to the households of the martyrs,” Akram mentioned.
In a information launch, Congo’s armed forces (FARDC) accused M23 of taking pictures down the helicopter. FARDC had beforehand accused Rwanda of supporting the insurgent group, which the Rwandan military denied in an announcement on Monday.
The UN mission didn’t determine the reason for the crash and mentioned an investigation is underway.