JUBA, South Sudan — A small aircraft crashed in a distant a part of South Sudan, killing a minimum of 18 folks on Wednesday, an official mentioned.
The flight, chartered by Chinese language oil agency Better Pioneer Working Co., had 21 folks on board, together with two pilots, mentioned Gatwech Bipal, the minister of data within the oil-rich Unity state, the place the crash occurred earlier on Wednesday.
The aircraft crashed whereas it was taking off close to an oil discipline to move to the worldwide airport in Juba, the South Sudanese capital, he mentioned.
It wasn’t instantly clear what induced the crash, and authorities hadn’t but revealed the identities of the victims. Native media reported that the aircraft was carrying oil employees.
South Sudan, which gained independence from Sudan in 2011, is a significant oil producer within the area. The East African nation has been attempting to ramp up oil manufacturing and exports amid persistent cashflow points for the federal government.