New Delhi, Sept. 19 -- A United Nations armored personnel carrier in the Central African Republic crashed and rolled into a river outside the capital of Bangui, leaving five U.N. police officers missing, a spokesperson for the MINUSCA peacekeeping mission said Wednesday.

The vehicle that was part of a five-car MINUSCA convoy plunged into the Ombella M'poko River before crossing a bridge, according to MINUSCA spokesperson Florence Marshall. The convoy was returning to another town after gathering supplies in Bangui.

All five officers that were unaccounted for in Tuesday's crash were from the Republic of the Congo.

A search and rescue operation is now underway.

The Central African Republic remains one of the world's poorest countries de...