At least nine killed in Port Sudan plane crash

A plane carrying four soldiers crashed on Sunday as a result of a technical failure, according to the Sudanese Army.

Port Sudan
Port Sudan airport is the only one still working in the country, making the city a vital transit point for much-needed foreign aid [File: Rula Rouhana/Reuters]

At least nine people have been killed in a plane crash in Sudan’s coastal city of Port Sudan.

“A civilian Antonov plane today crashed at Port Sudan Airport as a result of a technical failure, leading to the deaths of nine people, including four military personnel. One child survived the crash,” Sudanese army said in a statement.

The crash on Sunday came 100 days after fighting in Sudan broke out on April 15 between the army and the Rapid Support Forces paramilitary group in the capital Khartoum and states in western Sudan.

Port Sudan in the Red Sea state, located on the eastern coast of the country, is one of the cities that have been under the control of the Sudanese army since the war began.

Port Sudan airport is the only one still working in the country, making the city a vital transit point for much-needed foreign aid.

The war has left at least 3,000 dead across Sudan, according to a conservative estimate.

Source: Al Jazeera and news agencies