From Adia Jildo, in Juba
A Ukrainean Passenger Aircraft with registeration Number 5X-RHB operated by Light Air Services Aviation Company has crashed at 10:30 on Wednesday morning minutes after takeoff at Unity Oil Fields Airstrip.
21 passengers among them 18 employees of the Greater Pioneer Operating Company (GPOC) and two crew team were on board.
The plane reportedly crashed en route to Juba after making a false landing.
The Minister of Information and Unity State Gatwech Biphal Both confirmed the devastating incident on Wednesday evening to Citizenship Daily.
The plane chartered by the Greater Pioneer Operating Company, GPOC went from Juba on a mission to do routine change of GPOC workers at the oil field.
“Among these dead people, there are two Chinese, one Indian, and one Ugandan. Yes, those are the people that were confirmed as foreign nationals. There are 15 South Sudanese,” he confirmed.
The Information Minister claimed that the incident happened due to the air conditioning fault in the plane.
The survivor of the plane crash has however been flown to Juba for further medical attention.
However, the President of the Republic of South Sudan Salva Kiir Mayardit has urged relevant authoarities to swiftly investigate the cause of the plane crash.
“I have instructed the Minister of transport and all relevant authourities to conduct a thorough and swift investigations to determine the cause of the plane crash and give answers to the grieving families,” he said as he extended his condolence to the bereave families, Greater Pioneer Operating Company staffs and company and the nation.
South Sudan has registered several plane crash incidents putting into question the safety and conditions of most planes operating in the country.