Antonov-12
cargo aircraft crashed along the banks of a river around a mile from the
airport in the war-torn country. Death
toll ranged from 25 to more than 40 as humanitarian workers and investigators
began combing the crash site. However, a
child, who was no more than a year old, and an elderly woman were pulled out
alive from fuselage.
The
baby has astonishingly survived the crash and rescue teams plucked him from the
mangled fuselage after the aircraft came down near a river, scattering debris
and bodies across remote farmland.He was one of only two survivors pulled from
the crash, but the other one later died.
The
plane, which had been bound for the Paloich oil fields in Upper Nile state, was
registered in Tajikistan and belonged to Allied Services Limited, said a
spokesman for South Sudanese President Salva Kiir. It was further confirmed by a spokesman for the Armenian Foreign Ministry, that
five Armenian crew members died. Besides, there was a Russian crew member who
also died and 10 others on ground were killed.
The crash site was just 800 metres from the runway it took off from in
the South Sudanese capital of Juba ~ and there reportedly were 12
passengers. By some accounts, the old
plane was over loaded too. It is common
for the security services to put family members on the cargo planes to Paloich
even if they are not on the manifest, according to an Official of a company that operates chartered flights
across South Sudan. Juba international
airport hosts regular commercial flights, as well as a constant string of
military aircraft and cargo planes delivering aid to remote regions cut off by
road.
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.
With
regards – S. Sampathkumar
5th Nov. 2015.
