Some 27 people are now known to have died after a passenger plane crashed in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo.

A Dornier 228-200 plane, operated by Busy Bee, came down shortly after take-off in Goma.

The aircraft crashed into a residential area, with the victims believed to include nine people from the same family who were in one of the houses hit in Mapendo.

The cause of the crash is still unclear.

The plane was carrying 17 passengers and two crew members, officials say, and was on route to the city of Beni.

Image: Cedrick Manja/Xinhua News Agency/PA Images