Nine people have been killed in Sudan after the plane they were flying in crashed as it was taking off.
The civilian Antonov plane reportedly experienced a “technical” issue before crashing at Port Sudan Airport (PZU).
Of the nine people killed, four were military personnel. According to the Sudanese army a female child survived the crash.
“A civilian Antonov plane today crashed at Port Sudan Airport as a result of a technical failure, leading to the deaths of nine people, including four military personnel. One child survived the crash,” the Sudanese army said in a statement on July 24, 2023.
According to Al Jazeera, the crash occurred on the 100th day of fighting between the government forces and the Rapid Support Forces paramilitary group.
Port Sudan Airport lies on the east coast of the country by the Red Sea and is the last remaining functional airport.
In April 2023, Khartoum International Airport (KRT), in central Sudan, was at the epicenter of the conflict.
In the first two weeks of fighting multiple aircraft at the airport were caught up in the fighting.
A Saudia A330-300 was hit by gunfire while still on the tarmac preparing to depart to Riyadh and a Boeing 737-800 operated by Ukrainian airline SkyUp was also heavily damaged.