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Russia Today
30-01-2025
- Politics
- Russia Today
Sole survivor in plane crash in African state
At least 20 people, including Chinese and Indian nationals, have been killed in a plane crash in South Sudan's Unity State, authorities in the East African country reported on Wednesday. The region's information minister, Gatwech Bipal, said the passengers on the small aircraft were oil workers of the Greater Pioneer Operating Company (GPOC), a consortium that includes China National Petroleum Corporation and the Sudanese state-owned Nile Petroleum Corporation. He said it had departed for the African nation's capital, Juba, before it went down near the oil fields in Rubkona County shortly after takeoff. 'We are saddened to report this unfortunate incident involving a Light Air Service plane that tragically crashed just three minutes after takeoff from the Unity oil fields en route to Juba,' South Sudanese Petroleum Minister Puot Kang Chuol also told reporters. He said 16 South Sudanese, two Chinese nationals, an Indian, and two Ugandan crew members were on the plane. The only survivor, a South Sudanese engineer, has been evacuated to Bentiu State Hospital, according to Chuol. READ MORE: Russian skating stars on board crashed American plane – media Air accidents occur frequently in Africa's newest country, which has remained conflict-torn since gaining independence from Sudan in 2011. Last August, a cargo plane reportedly caught fire in the South Sudanese state of Jonglei, injuring two crew members. At least five people were killed in 2021 when a cargo flight carrying fuel for the UN's World Food Program crashed near Juba. A year earlier, an aircraft belonging to the South West Aviation company crashed after taking off from Juba International Airport, killing three South Sudanese and five Russians. In September 2018, at least 20 people, including the Anglican Bishop of Yirol, Simon Adut Yuang, died after an L-410 Turbolet of the same airline crashed into Lake Yirol, reportedly due to bad weather. In 2015, around 36 people were killed in a Soviet-made Antonov plane when it crashed along the banks of the Nile River, according to the landlocked nation's authorities. The incidents prompted South Sudanese President Salva Kiir Mayardit to ban aircraft older than 20 years from operating passenger flights in April 2019. In a statement late on Wednesday, President Kiir said he had ordered the Ministry of Transport and relevant authorities to conduct a 'thorough and swift investigation' to determine the cause of the latest crash. He called the incident 'heartbreaking,' adding that engineers and technical staff were among the victims. 'This tragedy deeply affects not only the families of the deceased but also the communities, our nation, and the entire oil industry,' the leader stated.
ARN News Center
29-01-2025
- Business
- ARN News Center
Plane crashes in South Sudan, killing 20
A small aircraft carrying oil workers in South Sudan's Unity State crashed on Wednesday, killing 20 people, an official said. The plane crashed at the Unity oilfield airport on Wednesday morning as it was heading to the capital Juba, Gatwech Bipal, Unity State's information minister, said. Bipal said the passengers were oil workers of the Greater Pioneer Operating Company (GPOC) a consortium that includes China National Petroleum Corporation and state-owned Nile Petroleum Corporation. He said among the dead were two Chinese nationals and one Indian. Bipal gave no more details on the circumstances that led to the crash. Media reports had initially put the death toll at 18 but Bipal told Reuters two survivors had later died. One person survived. Several air crashes have occurred in war-torn South Sudan in recent years. In September 2018, at least 19 people died when a small aircraft carrying passengers from the capital Juba to the city of Yirol crashed. In 2015, dozens of people were killed when a Russian-built cargo plane with passengers on board crashed after taking off from the airport in the capital Juba.
Arab News
29-01-2025
- Business
- Arab News
At least 18 killed after a small plane crashes in a remote part of South Sudan
JUBA: An official says at least 18 people were killed Wednesday when a small plane crashed in a remote part of South Sudan. The flight, chartered by Chinese oil firm Greater Pioneer Operating Company, had 21 people on board, including two pilots, said Gatwech Bipal, the minister of information in the oil-rich Unity state, where the crash happened earlier on Wednesday. The plane crashed while it was taking off near an oil field to head to the international airport in Juba, the South Sudanese capital, he said. It was not immediately clear what caused the crash, and authorities had not yet revealed the identities of the victims. Local media reported that the plane was carrying oil workers.
Voice of America
29-01-2025
- Business
- Voice of America
Plane crashes in South Sudan, killing 20, official says
A small aircraft carrying oil workers in South Sudan's Unity State crashed on Wednesday, killing 20 people, an official said. The plane crashed at the Unity oilfield airport on Wednesday morning as it was heading to the capital Juba, said Gatwech Bipal, Unity State's information minister. Bipal said the passengers were oil workers of the Greater Pioneer Operating Company, or GPOC, a consortium that includes China National Petroleum Corporation and state-owned Nile Petroleum Corporation. He said among the dead were two Chinese nationals and one Indian. Bipal gave no more details on the circumstances that led to the crash. Media reports had initially put the death toll at 18 but Bipal told Reuters two survivors had later died. One person survived. Several air crashes have occurred in war-torn South Sudan in recent years. In September 2018, at least 19 people died when a small aircraft carrying passengers from the capital Juba to the city of Yirol crashed. In 2015, dozens of people were killed when a Russian-built cargo plane with passengers on board crashed after taking off from the airport in the capital Juba.
Express Tribune
29-01-2025
- General
- Express Tribune
At least 20 dead in plane crash in South Sudan, officials confirm
Listen to article At least 20 people have been killed in a plane crash in the northern region of South Sudan, officials have confirmed. The crash occurred near the oil fields in Unity state at approximately 10:30am local time (08:30 GMT) on Wednesday, shortly after the aircraft took off for the capital, Juba. The plane, which was carrying 21 people, crashed just 500 metres from the airport. Unity state's minister for information, Gatwech Bipal Both, told AFP that only one person survived the incident. The victims included 16 South Sudanese nationals, two Chinese nationals, and one Indian, all employees of the Greater Pioneer Operating Company (GPOC). The aircraft was reportedly on a routine mission to the area at the time of the crash. The United Nations' Radio Miraya confirmed that both the pilot and co-pilot were among those killed. Images shared on social media depicted the plane upside down in a field with debris scattered across the surrounding area. Overloading of planes has been a common issue in South Sudan, which is believed to have contributed to a previous deadly crash in Juba in 2015, when an Antonov plane went down, killing 36 people.
