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South Sudan: Over dozen killed in plane crash

January 29, 2025

A plane crashed while leaving the Unity Oil Field en route to Juba, a radio station affiliated with the UN said. Those killed include the pilot and co-pilot.

https://p.dw.com/p/4ply8
View of an oil field in South Sudan's IUnity state
The crash happened near an oil field in the oil-rich Unity state [FILE: Apr 23, 2012]Image: Hannah McNeish/AFP/Getty Images

A Juba-bound plane crashed as it departed from South Sudan's major Unity Oil Field on Wednesday, killing at least 19 of those on board, a United Nations radio station said.

"The pilot and co-pilot are among the dead," radio Miraya said, adding that the plane was carrying 21, including the pilot.

The French AFP news agency meanwhile quoted the Unity State minister of information as saying the crash killed 20 people.

What do we know about the accident?

A team including the information minister was dispatched to the site of the crash in the northern Unity state to assess the situation, Miraya added.

Unity State Information Minister Gatwech Bipal Both said the aircraft was on a routine mission to the area. It was chartered by the Greater Pioneer Operating Company (GPOC) and operated by Light Air Services Aviation Company.

"The plane crashed 500 meters away from the airport. 21 people were on board. As for now, there's only one survivor," he told AFP by phone. 

"The state government is in a deep sorrow by this accident," the minister said, saying there would be an investigation. "Although most people predicted that this might be a mechanical collision."

The war-torn South Sudan has witnessed several air crashes in recent years. A September 2018 crash killed at least 19 people on board a small aircraft headed from the capital Juba to the city of Yirol.

In 2015, a Russian-built cargo plane carrying passengers crashed after takeoff in Juba, killing dozens.

rmt/rc (AFP, Reuters)