13 die as Sudanese plane explodes
A Sudanese cargo plane has caught fire and exploded killing thirteen people at an airport in the south of the country.
The plane caught fire while attempting to land at Wau airport during a routine flight from Khartum.
The dead included four Russians, an aviation official has confirmed. “The plane burst into flames half an hour from Wau airport. We do know the Russian crew of four and an official
of the bank of Sudan all died,” he said.
“There were also members of the police force and the national security apparatus on board,” he added.
The plane was carrying food and an unspecified amount of money for the Central Bank of Sudan.
Witnesses said the plane was on fire in the air before it exploded and fell to the ground.
Debris was scattered over a wide area at the airport, army and security officials had rushed to the airport to cordon off the the crash site.
Crash
In recent years, there have been a number of plane crashes near Wau which is one of the main government held cities in
southern Sudan.
A Sudanese airliner crashed in July near the Red Sea coast, leaving a baby boy as the sole survivor among the 116 passangers onboard the flight bound for Khartum. The crash was blamed on technical faults.