Passengers sucked from plane
The week's news at a glance.
Kinshasa, Congo
More than 100 Congolese soldiers and family members were sucked out of an airplane to their deaths last week when the rear door fell off in flight. The soldiers and their families were being transported from the capital, Kinshasa, to a military base in the south in a Soviet-era Ilyushin-76 cargo plane. “Thirty-five minutes after takeoff, we heard a loud noise inside the plane like hissing, and then the ramp fell off,” one survivor said. “Only the people who had the reflex to grab ropes on the walls were able to stay inside.” The Ilyushin-76, built in 1971, is a rickety craft now used mostly in Africa. It has an appalling record of 45 deadly crashes.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
6 sun-drenched homes by the sea
Feature Featuring a large patio overlooking the ocean in Laguna Beach and a marble rainfall shower in Norwalk
-
Is China winning the AI race?
Today's Big Question Or is it playing a different game than the US?
-
5 refreshing podcasts you may have missed this spring
The Week Recommends Exploring the cultural impact of Jerry Springer, a look at contemporary spending habits and more