By William Madouk Garang
At least 5 passengers including two crew members miraculously survived Friday morning plane crash at Referendum suburb shortly after taking off from Juba International Airport (JIA), airport authority said.
LET-410, an aircraft owned by Fly Air Africa was destined to Lankien town in Jonglei state before the engine developed mechanical issue, while on process to return, it crashed west of Juba International Airport (JIA).
Speaking to No.1 Citizen Daily Newspaper, the Director General of JIA, Kur Kuol confirmed the plane crash adding that all passengers onboard are unscathed.
“Yes, it’s true the plane crashed; it is type LET-410. It took off from JIA around 7:34 AM – it was going to Jonglei state, Lankien. but after taking off instantly the pilot called the tower that the plane has technical issue on one side of engine and that they are coming back, unfortunately it crashed,” Kuol narrated.
“The plane was having three passengers and two crew on board – total of five in number and all of them are safe and the plane didn’t burn but just some of its parts got broken,” he added.
Director General of JIA, Mr. Kuol further stressed that the Ministry of Transport has formed an investigation committee to probe on what transpired.
He further explained that plane crashes do happen worldwide and that people shouldn’t be discouraged from boarding planes, affirming their efforts to make airworthiness more safe and reliable.
This is not the first plane crash in South Sudan in recent years, but the first in 2023. In March 2021, a plane, L-410, operated by South Supreme Airlines crashed while enroute from Uror County to Juba killing all on board.
In August 2020, eight people died and one passenger survived with injuries when a plane crashed minutes after takeoff from Juba International Airport.
Nineteen people perished in 2018 when a small aircraft carrying passengers from Juba to Yirol crashed.
Also In 2017, 37 people miraculously survived after their plane hit a fire truck on a runway in Wau before bursting into flames.
While in 2015, 36 people were killed when a Soviet-era Antonov plane crashed just after takeoff in Juba.