JUBA – The authorities of Yei River County of South Sudan’s Central Equatoria State on Tuesday declared one day of mourning following a tragic plane crash in Luri that claimed the lives of 14 people.
The decision was announced in honour of the victims who perished in the accident, which has left families and the wider community in deep shock and grief.
The plane crashed about 20km (12 miles) south-west of the capital, Juba, on Monday morning, April 27, 2026.
It took off from Yei at 09:15 local time (07:15 GMT), and air traffic control lost contact about 30 minutes into the flight to the capital.
The Cessna 208 Caravan, which was operated by CityLink Aviation, lost communication while flying from Yei to Juba International Airport.
Among the 14 on board—the pilot and 13 passengers—were 12 South Sudanese and two Kenyans, the manifest says.
Speaking at a press conference in Yei Town on Tuesday, Samuel Henry Malimbo declared Saturday, 9 May 2026, as an official day of mourning in honour of the victims.
“The mourning ceremony will be held for two hours, from 10:00 AM to 12:00 PM South Sudan local time, at Yei Freedom Square on Sunday, May 9,” Henry said.
He described the incident as a devastating tragedy that has shaken the people of Yei River County and Central Equatoria State.
”On behalf of the government and people of Yei River County, I extend my deepest condolences to the families who have lost their loved ones in this tragic accident. Our thoughts and prayers are with them during this difficult time.”
He said the ceremony will be attended by bereaved families, friends, relatives, community leaders, government officials, religious leaders, and members of the public to pay their final respects and stand in solidarity with the grieving families.
For his part, Juma David Augustine, Yei River County Security Coordinator, urged families and the wider community to remain strong, calm, and united during this difficult period.
”It is a painful loss for the county and the nation. We encourage the families to remain strong as investigations continue to establish the cause of the crash,” David said.
Meanwhile, Nancy Paska, the Yei operations manager for Citylink Aviation, described the incident as deeply heartbreaking for the country and the people of Yei.
”I personally checked and confirmed that everything was normal before the plane departed from Yei. A few minutes later, I received information from Juba that the aircraft had not arrived at the airport as expected. I tried calling some of the passengers, but their phones were unreachable,” Paska said.
Paska said the incident came as a shock to the company, noting that it is the first fatal crash involving Citylink Aviation since the company began operating flights in Yei.
South Sudan, the world’s youngest country, has a poorly developed transport network, and the aviation industry does not have a good safety record.
More than 55 planes crashed in the country, resulting in dozens of fatalities, in the decade following independence in 2011.
Accidents are sometimes due to old aircraft and weak regulatory compliance. Overloading, poor weather, and pilot errors are also blamed.
