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Thirty-five people narrowly escaped death when a United Nations Humanitarian Air Service (UNHAS) aircraft crashed at Malakal airport on Friday.
When the accident happened, the plane had just taken off from Maban. During the flight, a tire fell off and a serious malfunction occurred.
John David, director of the South Sudan Civil Aviation Authority, confirmed the emergency landing of the plane to Radio Tamazuj. David said the specific cause of the failure is still under investigation.
“This is the second crash we’ve had recently. There was another accident last night. Our technical team is still gathering details so I can’t provide any more information at this time,” said David.
The Malakal airport crash is one of a series of troubling aviation incidents in South Sudan. Two pilots narrowly escaped death on Wednesday when their cargo plane crashed while trying to land at the airstrip in Pieripayam, Urol County, Jonglei State.
A recent string of accidents has further highlighted the perilous state of air travel in the country.
On August 8, a cargo plane caught fire after landing in Piyeripayam, Urol County, Jonglei State. Two crew members on board were injured and taken to a local clinic for treatment. The accident caused a fire that spread to a hut near the runway, killing three people and injuring many others.
In March 2024, a military cargo plane carrying supplies to Yida, in the Ruong District, crashed at Yida Airport. In February 2024, a passenger plane operated by Afrikano crashed at Malakal Airport while carrying refugees returning from the conflict in Sudan. No casualties were reported.
In April 2023, a cargo plane carrying passengers crashed at Juba International Airport, and all passengers were safe. Previously, there was an accident in 2021, when a Let L-410 Turbolet aircraft of South Sudan Supreme Airlines crashed in Pieri during a domestic flight to Yuai Airport, and there were no casualties.
The worst recent crash occurred in August 2020, when a cargo plane crashed into a farm in the Kemeru area shortly after taking off from Juba International Airport. Eight people died and one passenger survived with injuries.
South Sudan’s poor road infrastructure makes air transport a critical lifeline for many people, leading to frequent aviation accidents in the region.
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