129 Feared Dead After Door Opens 33,000 Feet Over Congo

Imagine this: You're crammed aboard a jet freighter, cruising along at 33,000 feet, when the air is explosively sucked out of your world. Somehow, the loading door has opened, exposing the cabin to the thin, frigid air outside. In a heartbeat, everyone around you is sucked through the open door, leaving nothing behind but the determined sounds of struggle from those who remain.

That's apparently what happened aboard an IL-76 transport carrying Congolese soldiers and members of their families. Somehow, shortly after taking off from Kinshasa, the cargo door opened in flight. The Congolese government confirms at least seven are dead. Reuters reports said as many as 129 men, women and children were sucked out of the aircraft and fell six miles to their deaths.

Pax: Cargo Ramp "Fell Off"

"Thirty-five minutes after takeoff, we heard a loud noise inside the plane, like hissing, and then the ramp fell off," a passenger named Katembo told Agence France-Presse from Kinshasa General Hospital. "The aircraft swung from side to side, and that's when the people fell out. Only the people who had the reflex to reach for ropes on the walls were able to stay inside."

The aircraft was painted in livery indicated it was owned by Ukranian Cargo Airlines. Ownership of the aircraft - and responsibility for its maintenance and operation - have not officially been determined, according to a government official. The pilot was reportedly able to reverse his course, safely descend and land at Kinshasa.

FMI: www.airforce-technology.com/projects/il76, CIA Factbook: Republic Of Congo