Khartoum, Feb 26 (IANS) The death toll from a military plane crash, north of the Sudanese capital Khartoum, has risen to 46, local authorities said on Wednesday.
“The number of victims due to the plane crash, which took place yesterday, reached 46, with 10 injured,” Khartoum State Press Office said in a statement, noting the casualties included both military personnel and civilians.
Health authorities are transporting the casualties from the crash site of the plane, which plummeted on a house in the Al-Hara 75 area in Omdurman, it said, adding that the injured are being treated in state hospitals.
The Antonov aircraft, which had taken off from Wadi Seidna Airbase in Omdurman about 22 km north of Khartoum, went down shortly after departure, killing its crew and several army officers, the Sudanese military said in a statement on Tuesday.
A military source, who spoke on condition of anonymity, attributed the crash to a technical fault. The plane with a crew of four was reportedly on a military mission, transporting several high-ranking officers.
Eyewitnesses said the plane was flying at a low altitude before it suddenly plummeted and burst into flames in a densely populated area.
According to Sudan News, the air crash claimed the lives of a brigadier general, several officers and soldiers, and at least five civilians. The plane’s wreckage scattered across residential homes, with some houses sustaining significant damage, Xinhua news agency reported.
The Karari Resistance Committees, a local volunteer group, reported that several burn victims and 10 bodies were brought to hospital following the crash. The group also noted the presence of severe injuries among the survivors.
The crash adds to the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Sudan, which has been engulfed in conflict between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces since April 2023. The violence has left over 29,600 dead and displaced more than 15 million people, according to the International Organisation for Migration.
–IANS
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