Nairobi/Kinshasa - The wreckage of an aid plane carrying 17 people has been found in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), the company operating the plane said Tuesday.

Air Serv, a humanitarian organization that provides air transport for aid workers, said that an aerial survey pointed to no survivors.

"Search and rescue efforts were initiated early this morning ... the aircraft has been found on a steep ridge eight miles north-west of Bukavu," the company said in a statement.

"Aerial survey by helicopter indicates that there are no known survivors," the statement continued.

Cristophe Illemassene, a spokesman for the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs in the DRC, said that contact was lost with the plane on Monday during bad weather.

The plane went down just minutes before it was due to land in Bukavu, in the east of the massive African nation.

Air Serv said the plane was carrying 15 passengers and two crew members.

The DRC has a poor safety record, forcing aid agencies to arrange their own transport much of the time. (dpa)