25 killed in South Sudan plane crash

AP JUBA, NOVEMBER 4 A cargo plane taking off from the South Sudanese capital of Juba crashed along the shore of the Nile, killing at least 25 people. An Associated Press reporter at the scene of the crash saw the bodies, including those of children. Parts of the plane were scattered in a bushy area populated with a few homes on the east side of the Nile. It was not clear if some of those who died had been on the ground. Presidential spokesman Ateny Wek Ateny said the Russian-made plane had been bound for the Paloch oil fields in Upper Nile State. Rebels and government forces have been battling for control of Upper Nile State. The Antonov plane crashed shortly after taking off on Wednesday morning, Mr. Ateny said. He gave no more details. Planes could still be seen taking off and arriving at the airport in Juba on Wednesday as many people gathered near the crash site about a kilometre from the airport. Bashir Yashin, who saw the plane come down, said it seemed as though initially the plane might crash into a market area before the pilot apparently diverted it. Another witness, Angelo Kenyi, said a child, who looked no more than a year old, and an elderly woman were pulled from the fuselage. It was not clear if any of those who died had been on the ground. Onlookers quickly gathered near the crash site, about 1 mile (1.6 kilometers) from Juba’s international airport Russian television channel LifeNews quoted an unnamed source at the Russian aviation agency as saying that the plane appeared to have been overloaded and that it was made in the Soviet Union in 1971. There has been no official reaction from Russian authorities so far. After the crash, planes could still be seen taking off and arriving at the airport in Juba. Many parts of South Sudan, which became an independent nation in 2011, have been hit by violence since December 2013, with government forces under President Salva Kiir battling rebels led by his former deputy, Riek Machar. Fighting persists despite a peace agreement signed in August.