At least six people have died after a plane flying from Uganda crashed into the Uvira mountains in the Democratic Republic of Congo's east, a DR Congo official says.

The plane, which made a stop in the Burundian capital Bujumbura, crashed into the mountains on Sunday about four minutes after take-off, local government official Noella Nafranka said.

"We don't know how many passengers were on board," Nafranka said on Monday. "All we know is that there were six crew members and the plane was charred, so there are at least six deaths."

The plane, whose flight path was confirmed by a Burundian official, was flying to Pointe-Noire in neighbouring Congo Brazzaville. The causes of the night accident and the nationalities of the victims were not clear.

DR Congo has one of the world's worst aviation safety records. About 50 of its airlines figure on a EU blacklist banning companies from flying within the European Union.