A tragic plane crash in northern South Sudan killed at least 20 people, with only one survivor, officials confirmed on Wednesday.
“Twenty-one people were on board. As for now, there’s only one survivor,” said Unity State’s information minister, Gatwech Bipal Both, as quoted by AFP. He added that an investigation was underway.
All passengers were employees of GPOC, including 16 South Sudanese, two Chinese nationals, and one Indian, according to a manifest seen by AFP and confirmed by local authorities.
The aircraft crashed 500 metres from the runway in Unity State shortly after taking off at 10.30 am local time (0830 GMT) for the capital, Juba.
The plane crashed near the region’s oil fields during a routine mission. The cause was not confirmed, but Both said that “most people predicted that this might be a mechanical collision.”
Images shared on social media showed the wreckage of the aircraft lying upside down in a field, with debris scattered around.
The state government expressed deep sorrow over the tragedy. Since gaining independence in 2011, South Sudan has struggled with poor transport infrastructure, and plane crashes are often caused by overloading or bad weather.
The aircraft was chartered by the Greater Pioneer Operating Company (GPOC) and operated by Light Air Services Aviation Company.
