Five minutes after takeoff, an Antonov An-12A of the Sudanese Air Force crashed in Darfur, western Sudan. Eighteen occupants including four children were killed.
The military plane was about to carry out a flight from Geneina Airport (EGN) to Khartoum International Airport (KRT) with 13 people on board. It had just delivered humanitarian aid to residents of El Geneina, a city affected by ethnic violence.
“All of its occupants, seven crew members, three judges and eight civilians, including four children, perished,” said military spokesman Amer Mohammed Al-Hassan in the statement. An investigation is underway to determine the causes of the crash.
Sudanese Air Force Antonov An-12 (ID yet unknown) crashed after take-off outside Geneina, Sudan. Acc. to reports, all 15 persons on board lost their lives.@salma1siddig pic.twitter.com/Bmcxr5Y7RO
— JACDEC (@JacdecNew) January 2, 2020
The Sudanese Air Force (SAF) flies a mix of Chinese and Russian-made aircraft that are frequently affected by mishaps, mainly due to technical problems. In April 2016, an Antonov 26 of the SAF crashed during a landing attempt at El Obeid Airport (EBD), killing all five crew members.
On October 3, 2018, Khartoum International Airport (KRT), the main airport of the Sudanese capital, was temporarily closed after two military planes of the Sudanese Air Force collided on the runway. No fatalities were reported.