Plane crashes upon takeoff from Rubkona Airstrip, all passengers survive

BENTIU – South Sudan government officials in the country’s oil-rich Unity State are saying that an Antonov plane heading to the capital Juba from there has crashed during takeoff from Rubkona Airstrip killing none on board.

“The plane was going to Juba from Rubkona Airport. After trying to take off, it crashed and broke parts of its wing. All those who were on board are commercial passengers and none of them has died, thank God,” one official said.

Several planes have crashed in recent years in South Sudan, a country experiencing insecurity and floods that have displaced more than half of the populations in Unity, Jonglei, Upper Nile and parts of the restive Lakes State.

A cargo plane, also an Antonov, crashed near Juba International Airport last November, leaving five people dead. Most recent crash took place in Abyei where an Antonov plane was delivering Primary Leaving Examination papers.

The incident at Agok Airstrip damaged one wing of the aircraft.