A SOUTH African air force helicopter crew narrowly averted disaster when they performed an emergency landing after their aircraft was shot at in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

The crew are part of a contingent of South African National Defence Force personnel seconded to the United Nations peacekeeping mission in that country.

They were transporting Lieutenant-General Santos Cruz‚ the UN force commander to the DRC‚ on Monday when an unknown group of people opened fire on their helicopter with small arms weapons.

Several rounds hit the helicopter with one piercing one of the aircraft’s fuel tanks.

The helicopter‚ said SANDF joint operations spokesman Lieutenant-Colonel Piet Paxton‚ was flying between Bunia and Beni on a routine flight when it was attacked.

He said the bullet which struck the fuel tank caused a minor leak.

“The pilot managed to fly safely out of the danger zone and landed at the Mavivi Airport near Beni. The origin of the gunfire and those responsible are under investigation by the UN‚” he said

Paxton said no one was killed or injured in the attack.

An SANDF source based in the DRC said it was likely that the UN would soon launch an offensive in response to the attack.

“While those responsible for the shooting are unknown‚ what is known‚” said the source‚ “is that the area where the shooting occurred is controlled by the rebel group‚ the Allied Democratic Forces.

“The UN’s force commander to the DRC was on board‚ so this is a big issue.”