By Charles K Mark
At least seven people survived another plane crash on Sunday morning in Malakal Airport, Upper Nile State.
According to the office of the governor, a cargo plane carrying supplies from Juba to Malakal crashed at the Airport due to technical difficulties. All seven people on board survived.
The plane was reportedly operated by Cush Airline but failed to make a proper landing.
“The aircraft skidded off the runway and crashed into the debris of another plane that had crashed just a few months earlier,” a statement from the office of the Upper Nile Governor stated.
James Odhok Oyay, Governor of Upper Nile State, expressed his concerns about the airport’s ability to handle emergencies while speaking at the incident scene.
He is now calling for the expansion and improvement of the runway to meet safety standards.
This is yet another plane crash two weeks after another crash in Yida Airstrip in Ruweng Administrative Area due to poor weather conditions, resulting in minor injuries for two pilots.
All five people on board, including the crew and passengers, managed to escape unharmed before the cargo was engulfed in flames.
Due to insecurity and poor roads, South Sudanese opt for air transport to reach some of the remote places in the far corners of the country.
There have been previous plane crashes in South Sudan.
In March 2021, a plane, L-410, operated by South Supreme Airlines crashed while en route 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.
In 2015, 36 people were killed when a Soviet-era Antonov plane crashed just after takeoff in Juba.