Plane crashes during takeoff in South Sudan, claims 20 lives including Indian national

A devastating plane crash in South Sudan has left at least 20 people dead, including an Indian national. The incident occurred on Wednesday in a remote area of the country’s Unity state.

Details of crash

The crash took place near an oil field as the plane, chartered by the Chinese oil company Greater Pioneer Operating Company (GPOC), was attempting to take off for the international airport in Juba, the capital of South Sudan. According to Gatwech Bipal, the Minister of Information for Unity state, the aircraft had 21 people on board, including two pilots. The crash happened just 500 meters away from the airport.

"21 people were on board. As for now, there’s only one survivor," Bipal said in a phone statement to AFP. Local authorities later confirmed that all passengers were employees of GPOC, with 16 South Sudanese, two Chinese nationals, and one Indian national on board.

Survivor rushed to hospital

The sole survivor of the crash, a South Sudanese engineer working at the oil field, was immediately rushed to Bentiu State Hospital for medical treatment. At the time of reporting, the cause of the crash was unclear, and authorities had not yet disclosed the identities of the victims. Local media reports suggest that the plane was transporting oil workers.

South Sudan’s struggles with transport infrastructure

South Sudan, which gained independence from Sudan in 2011, is a major oil producer. However, the country has been grappling with cash flow issues and a lack of reliable transport infrastructure. Air accidents are all too common, often attributed to factors such as overloading or adverse weather conditions.

In 2021, a cargo plane carrying fuel for the UN’s World Food Programme crashed near Juba, killing five people. Overloading was also believed to be a contributing factor in the 2015 crash of an Antonov plane in Juba, which claimed 36 lives.